Regina and Cersei: A Clash of Queens
by Model Builder
Summary: When Henry Mills came to the aid of a girl being abused by her boyfriend at school, it touched off a confrontation between Storybrooke and its new neighbor, the Unincorporated Municipality of Winterfell, leading to a showdown between Queen Regina and Queen Cersei.
1. The Lannisters Awaken

**Regina and Cersei: A Clash of Queens**

A "Once Upon A Time" crossover with the "Game of Thrones" TV Series.

**Summary:** When Henry Mills came to the aid of a girl being abused by her boyfriend at school, it touched off a confrontation between Storybrooke and its new neighbor, the Unincorporated Municipality of Winterfell, leading to a showdown between Queen Regina and Queen Cersei.

**Disclaimer: ** The TV Series "Once Upon A Time" is owned and created by the Team of Edward Kitsis and Adam Horowitz. The TV Series "Game of Thrones" is created by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss, and is based on the novel, "A Song of Ice and Fire," by George R. R. Martin.

I do not own any of the characters depicted in this story. This Fan Fiction Crossover is the work of a hobbyist having fun with some of his favorite characters, and nothing more. I hope that this is a sufficient disclaimer.

**A note about the rating:** This story is rated "M." This is _not_ because of foul language, excessive violence or even sex, per se. This story has none of that. But the cast of characters _does_ include Jamie and Cersei Lannister, whose, ah, 'interesting relationship' will provide plenty of fodder for Regina Mills' trademark sassiness. 'Nuff said . . . .

**Historian's Note****:** This story takes place between the events of OUAT S6 and the events shown in the novel, "Once Upon A Time: Henry and Violet," by Michelle Zink. At the time of this story, the Fourth Curse cast by the Black Fairy was broken over a year earlier. But even in defeat, the Black Fairy still had a card to play that the people of Storybrooke were unaware of.

In her High Fantasy avatar as The Red Woman, the Black Fairy cursed the Seven Kingdoms, bringing them to "Our World" just prior to the main events could begin to unfold in "Game of Thrones." As a result, the history of those "cursed" characters takes a _very_ different course than it did in the TV Series. In their "Cursed Identities," Robert Baratheon is the Mayor of Winterfell, and his wife Cersei is the _Capo de tutti Capi_ of the Winterfell Organized Crime Syndicate.

For nearly a year after the breaking of the Fourth Curse, the Happily Ever After's were coming back to Storybrooke. But once the "timer expired" on the Black Fairy's "backup failsafe;" the High Fantasy people of the Seven Kingdoms are beginning to awaken, and are becoming as Meta-Aware of their Fictional Realms origins as are the Fairy Tale people of Storybrooke.

And now, Cersei Lannister has her eyes on Storybrooke . . . .

As an episode of "Once Upon A Time," the Title Card will show the "Welcome to Storybrooke" town sign rewritten in the iconic "Game of Thrones" font, with three vertical lines in all five O's, in the foreground of the Blue Forest Setting.

**Chapter 1: The Lannisters Awaken**

Cersei Lannister staggered as she grasped the bannister of the stairway she was descending for support. She was still feeling slightly woozy and unsteady after the feeling of awareness suddenly came over her without warning several hours earlier.

And that feeling of awareness was accompanied by several other feelings as well. Among these was the feeling that she should get dressed, and go downstairs to the living room to wait for her brothers; her husband, the 'Mayor' of Winterfell; 'Deputy Mayor' Ned Stark; and her eldest son, Joffrey. The wait would not be long. That much she knew, though she did not know why or how – only that it must be done.

_If only Jamie had been with me when the awareness came,_ thought Cersei longingly. But her twin brother, (who had been keeping her company last night while her husband Robert was away on town business,) had already left her about an hour before the awareness came. For there was no telling what time Robert might come home from the Town Hall, that morning.

So, Cersei did as the feeling bid and went to the living room, reflexively touching something on the wall to make the dark room brighten. The light came. But not from fire; there was no fire, either from torches or lanterns. But something shaped like a serving bowl on the ceiling suddenly filled the room with a cool, white, fireless light.

_Not magic . . . ,_ thought Cersei absentmindedly; Electricity. It's supposed to do that. Why? She had no idea at the moment. But she knew that it was not magic.

Cersei sat on a very comfortable chair that was actually her husband's. A similar feeling told her that she had always liked this chair; even though it had not been so comfortable in their former Realm. For in this Realm, it could be made to recline, heat up, and give her a soothing massage at the touch of a "button." She had done this countless times. But Cersei decided against utilizing any of these . . . features – yes, that was the word for it – for now.

A few minutes later, she was joined by Joffrey, who was already dressed for school. Like her, the boy seemed a bit dazed, and she gave him reassuring smile that everything would be alright, in due time.

Unlike the nearby Storybrooke School District, West Rose High School had no uniform, and Joff wore only the best designer brands. But it was still early in the morning, and school would not start for another few hours. Cersei's daughter Myrcella, and her younger son, Tommen, were still abed. And something told Cersei and Joffrey that this was how it was meant to be, for now.

Mother and son said nothing to each other, but waited patiently for everyone else to arrive. They both had the feeling that this was what they had to do. The impatience they felt was mitigated by the feeling that their wait would not be a long one.

Then the front door opened, and Cersei's brothers Jamie and Tyrion came in, accompanied by 'Deputy Mayor' Eddard Stark. Silently they all took their usual seats. A few moments later, Cersei's husband, 'Mayor' Robert Baratheon, came in to join them. Robert had spent the previous night on a couch at the Winterfell Town Hall when the feeling of awareness came over him. He had been working late, attending to some tedious town business; something that he had been doing more often, as of late - a situation that Cersei and Jamie were both grateful for.

"I'm so glad that you could finally make it, dear husband," said Cersei neutrally.

"It would appear," said Robert. "That we all have little choice in the matter."

"Don't feel too badly," said Tyrion. "Jamie and I almost didn't arrive on time, either."

"Car trouble," added Jamie, by way of explanation.

"Your precious Corvette giving you _more_ trouble?" said Cersei.

"Well, I . . . ."

"What our dear brother is trying to say, sweet sister, is that he momentarily forgot _how_ to drive it," said Tyrion by way of explanation. "Fortunately, our dear brother didn't forget how to use his Smartphone, and was able to call me for a lift.

"Ned had a similar problem with his Lincoln Navigator, and we had to pick him up, as well. As for me, I just thank The Seven that my Tesla Model 3 is so much easier to drive."

"The 'manual shift' and the 'clutch,'" said Jamie somewhat abashedly. "The . . . 'carriages' of this world are . . . strange . . . ."

Before anyone could comment further, the ceiling light took on a reddish tint, and a shaft of red tinted light came down to the floor. Within the light, a figure could be seen.

Other than Cersei, all present tensed. Jamie stammered, "By the Seven . . . it's some kind of . . . holographic projection . . . ."

"No, dear brother," said Cersei calmly. "I believe that _this_ is proper magic." At Cersei's comment, the tension eased in the room, but only slightly. Just because magic was familiar and could be understood easily enough by all those in attendance _didn't_ automatically mean that it was benign. Far from it . . . .

The figure in the beam spoke:

"I was known by those in the Fairy Tale Realms of the Enchanted Forest as Fiona, The Black Fairy. Though in your Realm of High Fantasy, I was known as Melisandre, The Red Priestess.

"Though you will remember not; know now that I have brought you here to this Land Without Magic to serve me in accordance with the terms of a bargain that we had struck:

"In exchange for my delivering you from the terror of The Others, and of the brutal, interminable winters of your Home Realm; you were to serve me in _this_ Realm – this Land Without Magic - where the Fairy Tale People from the Enchanted Forest have fled to. You were to assist me with my vengeance against them. But apparently, fate has chosen otherwise . . . .

"If you are viewing this message, then I have failed in my effort to subjugate the Fairy Tale people of the Enchanted Forest; who have offended me, and provoked my wrath! It is very likely that I have been destroyed. But I shall yet have my retribution . . . !

"I had originally brought you to this world by my Dark Curse to assist me with keeping the Fairy Tales under my Dominion. To this end, you have been enchanted to remain asleep, immersed in your cursed identities, gifted with the knowledge needed to exist and thrive in this wretched Land Without Magic, until such time as your services were ever required.

"But this enchantment needs must be renewed periodically, lest you begin to awaken to your true identities before you are needed. And as you are now in the process of awakening without my bidding, this means that I am no longer able to renew the enchantment. Nonetheless, I have another role for you to play:

"I hereby grant you dominion over Storybrooke, and then the worlds beyond – including the Land Without Magic, itself - to rule as you see fit!

"But know this: The enchantments that concealed your true identities are lifting _slowly_. At first, only the Noble Houses of the Seven Kingdoms shall awaken. Next, it shall be your children. Then, a short time later, your servants and retainers, as well as your Small-Folk, shall all regain the memories of their past, true lives.

"This entire process shall take no more than a fortnight. Until then, proceed with patience and caution. Know that the Mayor of Storybrooke – the formerly 'Evil' Queen Regina Mills, and the former 'Dark One' - my son, Rumpelstiltskin, are _not_ to be underestimated. For I remind you that if you are viewing this message, they have likely already defeated _me_ . . . .

"I shall leave you with a copy of a tome that shall be your guide to your new enemy. Now, go, and fulfill your end of our agreement, and take what is rightfully yours!"

The beam of red light disappeared, and was replaced with the soft, white glow of the ceiling light. But on the floor where the beam had made contact, was a leather-bound book.

Cautiously, Cersei picked the book up, and read its title: "Once Upon A Time."

"It would appear," said Cersei, mainly to Jamie, "that we have some reading to do before we may begin . . . .

"Though I'd like to see this Storybrooke for myself, as soon as possible."

Joffrey said, "Let me do that, mother. Our class is visiting Storybrooke High School, today, for some kind of intermural sporting event. Sansa and I will be attending the field trip."

Cersei thought for a moment, and nodded. "You may go, Joffrey. But remember what the Black Fairy said: We needs must proceed with caution."

"Perhaps Ned and I should also drive into Storybrooke, just to do a bit of ranging," said Robert reasonably. "As the 'Mayor' of Winterfell, it would not be out of place for me to speak with my Storybrooke counterpart, Mayor Regina Mills."

"No, husband, I think not," said Cersei without even taking a moment to consider her husband's suggestion. "Fairy Tales are a naïve, and sentimental lot. But if Regina should happen to discover who you – and we - _really_ are before we are ready, it could cause . . . problems . . . .

"No, I think it best to avoid any unnecessary contact with the Fairy Tales, at this time.

"Besides, don't you and Ned have some _potholes_ to see filled? Last winter was bad for the roads in Winterfell; especially those in the King's Landing Subdivision."

"Yes," said Robert. "And the next winter will be here, before we know it . . . ." Rob shook his head in wonder. "Seven! We now inhabit a world where winter comes _every_ year for a mere few months at a time!"

"And no White Walkers . . . !" added Eddard with more than a touch of relief.

"I like this world, already," said Cersei dryly. "I'll like it even better when it's . . . _ours_ . . . .

With a shrug, Robert Baratheon and Eddard Stark left for the Winterfell Town Hall to make the appropriate arrangements with the county road maintenance crew. A short time later, Sandor Clegane arrived, and Joff went with him to pick up Sansa Stark, on the way to West Rose High School, leaving the Lannister Siblings to themselves.

When Joffrey and Sandor left, Cersei said, "Tyrion, would you be so kind as to go upstairs and check on Myrcella and Tommen? I want to know if they are "woke," yet. If nothing else, they need to have breakfast and get ready for school. Gregor will be here soon to take them."

As soon as Tyrion was out of the room and could be heard climbing the stairs to the kids' bedrooms, Cersei and Jamie embraced and kissed passionately.

"It's a pity that we don't have more time, sweet sister," said Jamie wistfully.

"There will be plenty of time for that, later, dear brother," replied Cersei smiling. "But for now, we have a Fairy Tale Realm to conquer . . . ."

Tyrion tapped lightly on his niece's door, and was let inside immediately, where Myrcella and Tommen had been anxiously waiting for him.

"I got a text from Arya, a few minutes ago," said Myrcella, showing her Smartphone to her uncle. "She, Sansa and Bran are 'woke,' too. Rickon knows that something 'weird' is going on, but he still thinks that he's lived all his life in the Enchanted Forest before coming to this world. And Arya doesn't know if their half-brother Jon knows _anything_, yet . . . ."

Tyrion nodded, suppressing a smile at his niece's ironic and totally unintentional humor. Of the three Lannister Siblings, Tyrion was the first to fully awaken and get his bearings in this strange, new world that they suddenly found themselves in, and he was able to soothe his niece's and nephew's anxiety when they frantically texted him in the early hours of the morning.

Fortunately, he was staying the night over at Shae's apartment when it happened. As she slept, Tyrion then spent the next several hours in frantic online research, and what he found out made him nervous and hopeful at the same time. Apparently, their story had not truly begun when the Red Woman/Black Fairy struck the bargain with them that brought them all here . . . .

When he finally got the call from his somewhat disoriented sister to join them at the Lannister Mansion for "an important family meeting," he gave Shae (who was obviously not "woke," yet,) a kiss goodbye, and advised her to pack a small bag, and be ready for anything come what may.

As Tyrion drove over to the Lannister Mansion, he could see that the people of Winterfell that he passed going about their daily affairs were obviously not "woke," yet. Tyrion had suspected this initially, and now the Red Woman's/Black Fairy's recorded message confirmed this earlier observation.

Tyrion was also able to ascertain that the Clegane Brothers were still completely bewitched, as was the Stark kids' half-brother, Jon Snow; who in this world was recast by the Red Woman's/Black Fairy's curse as a member of the Winterfell Police Department, where he was currently assigned to the K9 Unit's Night Shift. _Well, never let it be said that a Fairy Tale Curse didn't have a sense of logic,_ thought Tyrion. _Or humor . . . ._

And based on the Black Fairy's message, it was likely that this general state of ignorance would be the status quo for at least a little while longer; perhaps days, perhaps only hours. Tyrion fervently prayed to The Seven that however long this lasted would be time enough.

After another quick phone call to Shae, Tyrion knew that she was still blissfully unaware, and would likely be among the last to 'awaken.' But this didn't matter, in the long run. In fact, it could work to their advantage in the short run: Shae couldn't tell what she didn't know . . . .

Tyrion was brought back to the moment at hand when Myrcella said, "W-what do we do now, Uncle Tyrion? I did as you said, and Googled "Our Story" about what would have happen to us if we had remained in the Realm of High Fantasy." Bravely, the girl held back tears. "I don't want to die. Not like that. Not so young. A-and what could have happened to poor Bran at the hands of mom and 'Uncle' Jamie . . . !"

Tyrion then advised his niece and nephew to remain calm, and to pretend that they were still unaware of their true identities for the moment, and that they should advise the Stark kids to do the same. "For now, this is our greatest – and only – advantage.

"No doubt, your parents and your 'Uncle' Jamie, as well as your elder brother will be asking you questions in the near future, to determine your level of "awareness." I suspect that Ned and Cat will be doing the same with their kids, too. Stay in touch with them, and advise them to remain calm - but to be ready to act at a moment's notice.

"And know this: _Whatever_ may happen, I will do _everything_ in my power to keep you all safe!

"Now, get dressed and get ready for school, and keep your Smartphones charged and ready! And if you have anything to report; remember to use text messaging only. If I'm right, your mother and 'uncle' won't think or know how to check those until they have had more time to "acclimate" to this Land Without Magic. But this advantage will not last for very long."

After giving each other a quick hug of encouragement, Myrcella and Tommen went to their rooms and got dressed for breakfast and school.

Before going back downstairs to join his siblings, Tyrion sent a quick text to Shae: "I expect things to move quickly, now." Tyrion smiled as Shae texted her reply a second later: "K." He then allowed himself a moment to put on his best poker-face before rejoining his siblings downstairs.

_Author's Note__: I had to make a correction in this re-posted chapter, because I had originally (and erroneously) stated at one point that Jon Snow was Tyrion Lannister's nephew. I want to thank Sean Malloy-1 for bringing this mistake to my attention._


	2. A Confrontation of Princes

**Chapter 2: A Confrontation of Princes**

A midday phone call from your kids' school is always guaranteed to make any parents' heart skip a beat. Good news – such as an exceptionally good test score, or that your child was chosen for some special award – could wait until the child got home. No, these calls were generally to let a parent know that their child was sick or had gotten injured in gym class; and those were the _least_ bad of the many possible reasons for such a call from your child's school.

But for Regina Mills and Emma Swan, the reason for the call they got from Storybrooke High School came so far out of left-field that they were beside themselves. Their son, Henry, had been called to the principal's office . . . for _fighting_.

Neither woman even bothered with driving to their son's school. Regina teleported directly to where Emma was, and then without as much as a word between them, the Former Evil Queen teleported them both straight to Principal Hoffman's Office.

Fortunately, being Storybrooke, Maine, none of the many other people already present even gave the sudden appearance of Henry's moms in a burst of purple smoke a second look.

Henry's moms quickly took the measure of the situation. First, they gave their son a quick once-over. Henry's school uniform was dirty and his hair was disheveled, but otherwise, he looked alright. And both women were relieved to see that he wasn't alone. Sitting with Henry were his girlfriend, Violet Morgan, and classmates Ava and Nicholas Zimmer, (AKA Hansel and Gretel,) as well as the Mad Hatter's daughter, Paige.

On the opposite side of the table sat an angry looking blonde boy and a more subdued red haired girl about the same age as Henry and his friends. Interestingly, neither of these children wore the Storybrooke High School Uniform; though both were well-dressed in what looked like top-of-the-line designer clothes, though the boy also wore a layer of drying mud. The boy was about the same height as Henry, but had delicate, almost feminine features, including hair that was blonder than Emma's.

The pretty girl sitting with the blonde boy was clearly as afraid as the boy was angry and outraged. She avoided eye contact with everyone else, but attempted to put a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder, which he promptly shrugged away from, shooting her a warning look as he did.

Principal Hoffman started to say something, but before he could, the office door burst open and four men following one very determined looking woman, brusquely strode in.

Two of the men had dark hair, and were portly, bearded and well-dressed. The other two men also wore expensive clothing, and were both as blonde as the woman who seemed to be taking the lead. Emma made a mental note that these three had hair that matched the boy at the table. But while one of the blonde men was very athletic looking, the other was a small person; what this world's natives un-politically correctly, (and inaccurately - at least by Enchanted Forest standards,) called a "dwarf."

The new arrivals promptly took their places behind the boy and girl opposite Henry and his family and friends. After examining the boy (who sat calmly as she looked him over for injuries,) the woman rounded to Regina and Emma, and hissed, "Which one of you is the mother of the boy who dared to attack my son, Joffrey!"

Regina and Emma instantly developed a dislike for the woman. Simultaneously, and with a touch of pride, both women said, "I am," momentarily catching the blonde woman off-guard. But the boy sitting opposite from Henry and his friends didn't wait for his mother to resume.

"Mother, Sansa and I were looking around the Storybrooke High athletic field, and suddenly _that_ boy," he pointed menacingly at Henry, "started attacking me for no reason!"

It was Ava Zimmer who responded, first. "I wouldn't call smacking your 'girlfriend' around "no reason!" You're just lucky that it was _Henry_ who got to you first! If it had been _me_ . . . !"

"Wait a minute," said Emma, betraying more concern than she intended to. "_Joffrey_ . . . ? _Sansa_ . . . ? Oh, no . . . . No, no, _NO_ . . . !" She turned incredulously to Regina, and added, "Here in _Storybrooke_? Seriously . . . ?"

Though Fairy Tales and High Fantasy were related Realms of Storytelling, they rarely interacted with each other. Despite similarities in setting and culture, their respective outlooks on life and the lessons they taught could not be any more different.

While Fairy Tales were predisposed to such concepts as "True Love" and "Happily Ever After;" the Realms of High Fantasy were ostentatiously "dog-eat-dog" in their daily affairs; especially the members of the Noble Houses, who took cynicism and ruthlessness to an entirely new level.

Though there were always exceptions to this general rule – the Realm of Camelot being a good example – the two genres generally kept each other at arm's length. In comparison to Cersei Lannister, Regina Mills was practically a mother from a TV Sitcom Realm, albeit one with a slight attitude. And while she may have been known in the Enchanted Forest for a time as "The Evil Queen," Regina also knew that by the standards of the Seven Kingdoms, she might have been known as "The Slightly Ill-Tempered Queen," at worst.

Thanks to television in The Land Without Magic, the history (or, at least, a history,) of the Seven Kingdoms was known of in Storybrooke. That said, these stories were not especially popular among the Fairy Tales, who preferred stories that emphasized hope over desperation and despair. In fact, other than the slyly ironic name of Moe French's Flower Shop, there was little sign that "Game of Thrones" was popular in Storybrooke, at all.

Meeting Cersei eye to eye, Regina said evenly, "So . . . _you're_ the famous Queen Cersei Lannister. I must admit that I never expected to see you and your people here, in Storybrooke."

"That's because my people _don't_ live in Storybrooke, 'Queen' Regina," snapped Cersei. "We live in the adjacent, Unincorporated Municipality of Winterfell.

"And if you know of me, I believe that you'll also know of my brothers, Jamie and Tyrion . . . ."

"Only by _reputation_ . . . ," said Emma neutrally.

Tyrion smiled. "Don't believe _everything_ you read, Ms. Swan. Stories tend to get 'embellished' as they are told and retold, over and over, again. As you all doubtlessly well know . . . ."

Cersei continued, "The other two are my husband, Robert Baratheon, 'Mayor' of Winterfell." Cersei nodded to one of the dark haired men, who in turn gave Regina and Emma a thin, almost apologetic smile. "And his 'Deputy Mayor,' Eddard Stark."

Ned Stark also offered a smile, absentmindedly fidgeting with his tie-tack; a small, silver hand. "Not as grandiloquent a title as I previously held, I'll admit. But there you have it . . . ."

"It would seem that the Black Fairy's curse has demoted us all," said Robert wistfully.

Cersei said, "And I see that our _sons_ have already met." She then turned her baleful attention directly to Henry, and said, "Is this how you Fairy Tales welcome a _Brother Prince_, here in Storybrooke, 'Prince' Henry? Your courtesies leave much to be desired. But considering who your mother is, perhaps I shouldn't be too surprised." Henry politely met her stare, but said nothing.

Both Regina and Emma moved closer to Henry. Violet took Henry's hand and gave it an encouraging squeeze. Regina and Emma put a comforting hand on their son's shoulders. Then Regina said, "Alright, son, what happened?"

Henry said, "My friends and I had Study Hall, so we all decided to go outside to the football field to watch the intermural games between Storybrooke High and the visiting team from West Rose High.

"But when we got to the bleachers, we heard something that sounded like an argument coming from below us. When we went behind the bleachers to see what was happening, we saw Joffrey shoving Sansa against one of the bleacher supports."

Ava rounded to Joffrey, and added fiercely, "And then, we all saw him hit her!"

As Ava spoke, Emma took note of Joffrey, who sunk slightly in his seat. She also noticed that Robert and Eddard both betrayed discomfort, but said nothing.

Jamie Lannister spat, "Your opinion was not asked for, _wench_!"

"It's not Ava's 'opinion,' _Mister_ Lannister," said Paige Hatter. "It happened, and we all saw it!"

Infuriated, Jamie took a step forward, but Emma said. "Hold on, there. Whatever title you may have in Winterfell, or had back in the, ah, "Old Country;" _I'm_ the Sheriff, here in Storybrooke. And if you so much as take one more step closer to _any_ of these children, I'm _taking_ you in!"

Nonplussed, Jamie took a step back, and said, "In Winterfell, I'm the CEO of Kingsguard Security, LLC. I don't know how you run things here in Storybrooke. But in Winterfell, the Small Folk know their place!"

Regina said, "Be that as it may, we do things _differently_, here in Storybrooke. As Emma pointed out, this isn't "The Old Country," and you would all do well to remember that.

"But we digress . . . . Son, please go on."

Henry took a deep breath, and continued. "I pulled Joffrey away from Sansa, and Ava went to her to see if she was alright. Then, Joffrey pulled a knife –"

Simultaneously, Regina and Emma said, "WHAT?!"

Speaking for the first time, Principal Hoffman timidly held up a carbon-fiber hunting knife, and said, "Um, Joffrey - allegedly - had this on him when the gym teacher brought this incident to my attention."

"That's _Lion's Tooth_!" said Joffrey. "At least, it _was_ Lion's Tooth, until the Black Fairy's Curse brought us here, and turned it into that stupid little toothpick!"

"Principal Hoffman, you _will_ return my son's property, _immediately_!" demanded Cersei.

"They may keep it, mother! It's not even proper, Valyrian Steel! It's made out of some cheap, Land Without Magic tat called "carbon-fiber!"

Regina ignored Joffrey, and said, "What happened next, Henry?"

Henry looked up at Emma for a second, and then said, "Well, remember those _Krav Maga_ lessons you gave me when we were living in New York? They really work . . . .

"Anyway, it was about that time when the gym teacher came, and brought us all here!" All Henry's friends nodded in agreement.

"THAT'S A LIE!" spat Joffrey. "I _NEVER_ HIT SANSA! I WAS DEFEDING _US_ AGAINST THIS FAIRY TALE RABBLE!"

Eddard Stark turned to his daughter, and softly said, "Is this true, Little Dove? Were Prince Henry and his friends harassing you and Joffrey _because_ you are High Fantasy Folk?"

"I – I don't know, f - for sure . . . ," whimpered Sansa. "Everything happened so fast that I –"

"What do you mean, "I don't know?" Paige said incredulously. "Didn't you _feel_ it when he hit you, girl? We all certainly _heard_ it . . . !"

Violet said, "It's alright, Sansa. We all saw what happened. You _don't_ have to protect your 'boyfriend,' or make any excuses for him."

Ava added, "And you don't have to put up with him, or his abuse! Not anymore!"

Joffrey turned to Cersei, and almost whimpered, "Mother, it's a _lie_! These low-born _Fairy Tales _are lying about me!" Joffrey then rounded to Henry, and said, "It's because we're Nobles from a _High Fantasy_ Realm, and not Fairy Tales, isn't it . . . ?"

Robert Baratheon said, "Then you say Prince Henry's attack was unprovoked, Joff?"

"That's right, father! Sansa and I were just minding our own business, before these Fairy Tales came along and started giving us trouble!"

Addressing Regina and Emma, Cersei said, "There you have it. My son doesn't lie."

But neither of Henry's moms immediately replied to Cersei. Instead, they were looking at the Smartphone that Paige Hatter handed them while Joffrey was bloviating. A moment later, Regina looked up from the screen and sassed "Maybe your son doesn't lie, Cersei. But neither does the camera."

Emma gestured to the TV on the wall, and said, "Principal Hoffman, may I . . . ?"

Nervously, the Principal gave Cersei and Jamie Lannister an apologetic look, and reluctantly nodded to Emma to proceed. Emma took note of this when she put the video that the Mad Hatter's daughter made up on the screen.

Sansa was right about one thing; it _did_ happen pretty quickly. But it clearly showed Joffrey shoving Sansa hard against the bleacher support and striking her with an open palm. Then Henry ran up and pulled Joffrey off of Sansa as Ava helped the girl to her feet, and stood protectively next to her. Next, Joff's knife came out, and in a few, businesslike moves, Henry not only disarmed Joff, but got him face down in the mud.

On the audio, Joffrey could clearly be heard yelling, "I'M TELLING MOTHER!"

And Henry evenly replied, "Yeah? Well, that goes _double_ for me!"

Then the Storybrooke Gym Teacher came up to ask what had happened, and the video stopped.

Emma shrugged. "Well, as you High Fantasy people like to say, "There you have it . . . ."

Cautiously, Eddard Stark said, "So . . . Prince Henry; am I to understand that you were only defending Sansa's honor . . . ?"

"No sir," said Henry. "I just did the right thing. Like my _moms_ always taught me to do."

Fuming, Cersei said, "Well, I've seen and heard enough!" She then pointed at Henry, and added, "Sheriff Swan, I want that boy arrested for assault, immediately!"

Robert said, "According to what we just saw; there is no cause for Prince Henry being arrested."

"I – I don't believe this!" stammered Cersei. "That video was obviously . . . charmed, or . . . or "photoshopped," or whatever! It's obviously a Fairy Tale trick!

"The man I married would have _demanded_ satisfaction for what happened to his eldest son – _his heir!_ \- at the hands of this . . . this base-born, Fairy Tale 'prince!'"

Jamie snorted, adding, "That's the problem with you Fairy Tales. You'll let _anyone_ marry into your Royal Houses."

"Well, excuse us if _our_ family trees actually _branch-off_!" Regina sassed dryly. "But if anyone here should be arrested, it's Joffrey. He assaulted Sansa, and _threatened_ our son with a _knife_." Regina then rounded to Cersei, and added, "If we were in "The Old Country," Cersei; of course you realize that this would mean _war_. But fortunately for you _and_ your son, Storybrooke _isn't_ "The Old Country." And we do things differently, here!

"News Flash, Cersei: You are no more a Queen here in this world than I am! And the sooner you accept that fact, the easier you'll find you have it!"

"ENOUGH!" spat Cersei. "Robert, I believe that we're done, here!" She then turned to Principal Hoffman, and said, "Now, if you would kindly give my son's . . . property back to him, we'll be on our way."

"I – I _can't_ just give a _weapon_ back to an _underage child_ that was _confiscated_ on school grounds by a member of the faculty . . . ," said Principal Hoffman apologetically.

Cersei groaned, and impatiently replied, "Well, then, give it back to Joffrey's _father_!"

"Uh, Cersei, you may want to be a little bit more _specific_ than that . . . ," sassed Regina.

Cersei and Jamie each gave Regina a nasty look as Tyrion struggled to suppress a smile. But the growing tension was finally broken when Principal Hoffman made an ostentatious display of handing Joffrey's knife back to Robert Baratheon.

"Now, we're leaving, Regina," spat Cersei. "And don't you dare to try and stop us, '_Evil Queen_!'"

"I wouldn't dream of it, Cersei," replied Regina. "And don't you ever come back to Storybrooke, once you're gone, '_Blight _of the West_.'_"

Cersei was about to respond, but Jamie touched her arm, and said, "Not now, Dear Sister." A moment later, Cersei reluctantly nodded, and a few moments later, they were gone, leaving Henry, his friends, his moms, and the Principal of Storybrooke High School alone in the office.

Principal Hoffman then told Henry and his friends that they may return to class; though it was almost time for school to be dismissed. Before leaving, Henry told his moms that he and his friends were going to Granny's Diner after school for a snack, and to study and hang out before coming home for dinner.

"I'll get my homework done with the gang at Granny's," said Henry. "But after dinner, I still have a few Happy Endings that I promised to write, tonight."

When the kids left the office, Principal Hoffman breathed a sigh of relief, and then collapsed shakily into his chair, taking a drink of water from a pitcher on his desk. The man was clearly in distress, and Emma went over to him and asked if he was alright.

When Principal Hoffman regained his composure, he said, "Don't you have any idea _who_ you're dealing with? Do you _know_ what Cersei Lannister is in _this_ world, Madam Mayor? Sheriff Swan?"

"Some narcissistic, self-absorbed High Fantasy 'Queen' who'd better realize that she's not in the Realms of Storytelling, anymore," if she knows what's good for her," quipped Regina.

Principal Hoffman shook his head vigorously. "Do YOU _KNOW_ what Cersei Lannister is in this world, Madam Mayor? Do either of you _know _what the Black Fairy's Dark Curse made of her and her Family?

"The Lannisters are an _organized crime family_, and Cersei is the _Capo di Tutti Capi_!"

Principal Hoffman wiped his brow with a handkerchief, took another drink, and continued. "The Lannister Family is responsible for all of the racketeering, loan sharking and extortion in all of Winterfell. And lately, they've started moving into Storybrooke, as well!

"Cersei's brother, Jamie - through his Kingsguard Security Company - collects 'protection' money from many of the local merchants in _both_ towns!

"You know how it goes: "That's a _nice_ business you've got, here. I'd be a _shame_ if something _bad_ should maybe happen to it . . . ."

"Wait," said Emma. "If Cersei is some kind of Mafia Don – or _Donna_ – in this world; than how come, as Sheriff, I'm only just hearing about all of this _now_?"

Principal Hoffman sighed. "Because _everyone_ in Storybrooke and Winterfell are _afraid_ that Cersei would send her "muscle" after anyone who complains to the cops!

"And I know this for a fact! My neighbor was late with his "protection fee" for his business a few months ago, and Kingsguard Security sent a couple of big goons to collect. One guy made Dwayne Johnson look like Jon Cryer, and the other not-much-smaller one's face was half-burned, like Freddy Krueger."

"Gregor Clegane," said Regina. "And his brother, Sandor."

"The Mountain and the Hound," added Emma, rolling her eyes. "Great . . . ."

"Well, that makes sense," said Principal Hoffman. "It's not my favorite, but I watch "Game of Thrones," from time-to-time," then adding somewhat sheepishly, "mostly for Daenerys . . . .

"But until I knew that _those people_ were actually _here_, the talk around town was that we were dealing with some toughs from the _DC Universe_ who came over with the Black Fairy's curse.

"I originally thought that they were Bane, or Killer Croc, and Two-Face. And that the Penguin was behind it all. Not that Jamie Lannister the Clegane Brothers are all that much better, under the circumstances . . . ."

Emma took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. "So, what now, Regina?"

But before Regina could answer, there was a knock on the door. When Principal Hoffman nodded, Emma opened it, and Mr. Gold came in, causing the Principal to gasp with fright.

"Easy there, Dearie," said Mr. Gold affably. "Need I remind you that I'm no longer, "The Dark One?"

"I – it's not you, Rump – ah, _Mr. Gold_," stammered Principal Hoffman. "It's . . . it's _him_ . . . ."

It was then that Regina and Emma noticed that Mr. Gold was not alone. Accompanying him was an impeccably dressed, blonde person of short stature.

"What are you doing, here?" said Regina sharply to Tyrion Lannister. "I thought I'd made myself clear that you and yours _aren't_ welcome here in Storybrooke!"

Mr. Gold said, "It's alright, Regina. Tyrion and I have just had a – please do pardon the expression - _little_ "Imp-to-Imp Talk." And I believe you will find that it so happens that Tyrion is, well . . . on _our_ side, in this matter."

"_My_ side, actually, Rumple," corrected Tyrion. "In the interest of full disclosure, you'd all do well to remember that. However, it also just so happens that currently, our mutual interests happen to conflate . . . .

"My dear sister and brother needs must be stopped before they go any further with their insane plans."

"And what 'plans' are those?" said Emma.

"What plans do you think, Sheriff Swan?" said Tyrion somewhat impatiently. "Cersei seeks to add Storybrooke and the other United Realms to her nascent kingdom in this world . . . ."

_Author's Note__: This story is another experiment of mine that uses "genre" as a stand-in for "ethnicity," among the Meta-Aware characters in "Once Upon A Time." I hope that you will find this concept entertaining as well as thought-provoking. Please let me know what you think of it, and whether or not I should continue this story/experiment. Thanks for reading!_


	3. Professional Courtesy

**Chapter 3: Professional Courtesy**

A nervous Principal Hoffman wanted no part of the "Old-World" style feud brewing between Mayor Mills and Cersei Lannister. He had vivid memories of living through similar Highborn Disputes from his Pre-Curse days in the Enchanted Forest as a member of the College of Heralds, and quickly recused himself from his own office, ceding it to Mayor Mills, Sheriff Swan, Mr. Gold, and Tyrion Lannister.

But Regina and Emma had other things to worry about. Though both were very proud of their son for doing the right thing for Sansa Stark, they both also knew enough about the characters from "Game of Thrones" to be rightly worried for Henry's long-term safety.

Not everyone in Storybrooke came from a Fairy Tale Realm of Storytelling; especially many of the new arrivals from the Land of Untold Stories. The truth was that you never really knew _who_ you might meet on the streets of Storybrooke, Maine, on any given day. And for better or for worse, the Realms of Storytelling were full of blonde, arrogant teenage bullies, who could carry a grudge the way a mermaid could carry a tune.

Regina shook her head. "I couldn't be more proud of our son, Emma. But he and his friends _really _should have gotten the gym teacher, first, instead of trying to rush in the way they did.

"What if that blonde, entitled bully had been _Draco Malfoy_? Mr. Gold, Zelena and I might _still_ be trying to restore Henry to human form, by now!"

"Or we might be in the hospital waiting room," said Emma nodding soberly, as she called her parents and Jefferson Hatter to join the meeting by teleconference. "If that boy had been Archie Costello from "The Chocolate War," or Johnny Lawrence from "The Karate Kid;" there's no telling what might have happened to Henry. A few, basic Krav Maga lessons wouldn't have done him much good against sociopathic boys like those."

"I don't have a lot of time to talk," said Tyrion Lannister, with a touch of impatience. "Fortunately – and for the second time, today - my Dear Brother Jamie became so flustered that he momentarily forgot how to drive his car. So he rode back home with Cersei and Joffrey while I 'volunteered' to stay behind to watch his beloved Corvette until the Clegane brothers could come back to pick it up for him. And they're on their way, now. So, we needs must do this as quickly as possible."

After Emma got David Nolan, Mary-Margaret Blanchard, and Jefferson Hatter on teleconference, and brought them up to speed, Tyrion told them about the Black Fairy's message, and the enchantment that was in the process of lifting; slowly and incrementally reawakening the High Fantasy people that she brought over to serve her in her vendetta against those from the Fairy Tale Realms.

When he was finished, Tyrion took a sip of the Diet Dr. Pepper he was offered, and sighed. It was cold, wet and sweet, but it _wasn't_ Dornish Red - not by a long-shot. Tyrion shrugged off the thought. Whatever else he might be, Tyrion Lannister was a survivor. And it was all too true that in life, one either adapted, or died.

"It was my Sweet Sister's initial plan to bide her time until our memories stabilized, and we became more acclimated to this world," said Tyrion. "Thanks to the Red Woman's/Black Fairy's Curse; we currently find ourselves juggling no fewer than _three_ sets of memories at once.

"First, of course, are the enchanted, false memories of lives lived in this world, including the knowledge and skillsets needed to survive in a world of cars, aircraft and Smartphones, to name just a few of this world's many wonders . . . .

"Second, are the cursed, "false-memories" of lives in the Fairy Tale realms that made us forget our true, High Fantasy origins – those being our actual, _Third Set_ of memories.

"I believe that I was the first of my people to begin awakening. Although I am slowly regaining all of my memories of Westeros; they are currently in the process of overwriting the false, implanted memories of my 'pre-cursed' life in a place called "OZ," where I was something called a "Munchkin," who was a member of something called, "The Lullaby League." And believe me; sorting everything out is a disorienting process to say the least; enough to drive a man completely mad."

In a subdued voice, Jefferson said, via speakerphone, "Yeah, Bro, I can _relate_ . . . ." Regina and Emma exchanged glances, but said nothing.

"So, let me see if I understand," said Emma. "The Black Fairy's curse _didn't_ lift for everyone from your world at the same time; the way it did for us when _our_ curse was finally broken?"

Tyrion shrugged and nodded. "So far, those of us you have already met are among the only ones who are fully 'aware' of their true origins from a High Fantasy Realm."

Regina said, "I wonder why anyone would craft a curse like that?"

Again, Jefferson spoke. "There is some precedent for this "incremental" lifting of the curse, Madame Mayor. I think that the Black Fairy might be taking a page from the _Science Fiction_ Realms of Storytelling.

"This sounds like what might happen on a starship with its crew in "suspended animation" on a journey to a far-away planet. When the destination is near, the ship's computer will begin to revive the crew in small groups – usually the commanding officers first – for them to assess the situation, and assist the others as they are awakened in a preplanned sequence."

"That makes sense," said Mr. Gold nodding. "If the process is as "disorienting" as Tyrion says it is; there would be absolute chaos if everyone awakened all at once.

"Do you know if anyone else is "awakened" yet, Tyrion?"

"Yes. My niece Myrcella and my nephew Tommen are also in the process of awakening. Sansa Stark's siblings are also awakening, as well. Fortunately, Myrcella told me _before_ she told her mother and 'father.' I further advised her to instruct Tommen and the Stark kids to also keep this to themselves, for now – to act as if they know nothing other than of their lives in this world, and of their cursed memories of their false lives in the Enchanted Forest.

"But as far as I know, everyone else in Winterfell is still operating under their layered, cursed memories. For example, the Clegane Brothers still think that they are Mob Enforcers, who once lived in a Fairy Tale Realm – at least that is what they still seemed to think, as of this morning."

Over the speakerphone, Mary-Margaret said, "Then why did Cersei reveal herself and your presence less than an hour ago, if she wasn't ready yet to make her move against us?"

"To be accurate, it was my nephew Prince _Joffrey_ who did that, Princess Snow White," said Tyrion. "Or, do you prefer for me to address you as Ms. Mary-Margaret Blanchard?"

Mary-Margaret sighed, and said, "Either is fine, Tyrion. But as I'm sure Regina must have told you by now, these "Old Country" honorifics have lost a lot of their meaning, here in this world."

Regina said, "Though my new, official title is, "Elected Queen of the United Realms," and lately I'm also referred to as, "The Good Queen;" most people still call me, "Madame Mayor," "Ms. Mills," or even just "Regina," for day-to-day business."

"And I can't even remember the last time that _anyone_ ever called me, "_Princess_ Emma," added Sheriff Swan. "And I've _never_ heard anyone refer to our son as, "_Prince_ Henry," even at formal occasions. All his friends at school just call him "Henry."

Whatever else Storybrooke may have been, it was still essentially a small, Eastern Seaboard town in the United States of America, and for the most part, it operated as such. Much of the Medieval / Renaissance Fairy Tale traditions that remained were largely in the form of a weird, "cultural hangover," that had no official force of law to back them up. It was only in deference to their "Fairy Tale Heritage" that they were still followed, at all.

"Well, Cersei won't like _that_, one bit," said Tyrion. "She still thinks of herself as every bit of a Queen. And now, she _will_ want 'satisfaction' for the treatment Prince Joffrey received at the hands of Prince Henry. More to the point, she will likely use this as an excuse to attack Storybrooke and demand your unconditional surrender."

Coming over the speakerphone, David Nolan said, "I'm curious to know why you're helping us against your own brother and sister – as well as against your _own people_, Tyrion."

"Good question, Prince Charming," replied Tyrion, reasonably. "And a fair one, too . . . .

"This, then: I've read all the stories about "Snow White," and learned about the actual history of the Enchanted Forest even before I 'awakened' earlier this morning.

"Tell me, Prince Charming: Have you ever read, "A Song of Ice and Fire," or watched "Game of Thrones" on television?"

"We've heard about them," said David evenly. "But that really isn't our idea of wholesome "story time." And it wasn't. "Game of Thrones" never really attracted much of a following among the Fairy Tales of Storybrooke, despite the overt similarities in setting and culture that the two genres shared.

"Too much violence . . . ?" asked Tyrion rhetorically. "But that can't be it, can it." He nodded to Regina. "I seem to recall reading a version of _your_ story where, instead of being elected, "The Good Queen," at the end; you were forced to dance to your death in red-hot iron shoes!" Regina nodded back, but said nothing. Tyrion continued, "So it _can't_ be the violent content of High Fantasy that offends your 'delicate' Fairy Tale sensibilities." _Although such 'torture' is fairly amateurish by High Fantasy standards,_ thought Tyrion to himself.

Almost apologetically, Mary-Margaret added, "Well, it's not the violence in your stories _per se_. It's just that the Realms of High Fantasy tend to be much too, well, _depressing_ for our tastes."

"We Fairy Tales," said Regina evenly, "value stories that offer the message of hope."

"Oh, you Fairy Tale people and your "Happily Ever After Endings . . . ." Tyrion chuckled, but without the slightest trace of patronization. "Yes, your stories tend to be as violent and brutal as our stories; at least in their original form. Though this was somewhat "softened" as time went on, and your stories became more, shall we say . . . family-friendly . . . .

"But in _our_ case, it is actually quite the opposite. The violence and brutality in the High Fantasy Realms is far, far _worse_ than it could _ever_ be depicted in _our_ stories; especially in the Land Without Magic - likely because nobody reading it would actually believe it to be so.

"So, to answer your question, Prince Charming, I want what your people have; though _not_ what my Dear Brother and Sweet Sister want from your people. Cersei and Jamie merely want to subjugate and rule over you – for no other reason than that's what they do.

"But I want to _live_ as you do: To have at least the opportunity - the _possibility_ \- of a "Happy Ending;" as sentimental and ridiculous as that may sound. I want to come in from the cold – literally as well as figuratively – from the world of Ice and Fire. And I suspect that most of "my people," both many of the Nobles and the Small Folk, alike, will want the same for _themselves_."

Regina said sincerely, "Well, Storybrooke _is_ a place for Second Chances and a New Life, for _anyone_ from the Realms of Storytelling. And Mr. Gold and I are the prime examples."

"And I want the same for myself, and _also_ for my nephews and niece," said Tyrion nodding. "Yes, even _Joffrey_ deserves at least a _chance_ to NOT have to follow a destiny that he never chose. Though I am 'cynical' enough to know that it won't be easy for him, much less my siblings, I am "hopeful" enough that it should at least be an option made available to him."

When Tyrion finished, all eyes turned to the speakerphone. After a few, long seconds, David sighed audibly, and replied, "Fair enough, Lord of Lannister."

Mary-Margaret added, "We'll do everything to help your people adjust and acclimate, Tyrion."

"Thank you," said Tyrion sincerely. But he couldn't also help but think to himself: _And what will you do with those of us who can't or won't acclimate . . . ?_

Emma said, "Now that that's settled; what's our next move?"

Tyrion continued, "Whatever Cersei and Jamie have planned, it will probably happen sooner than later, now that their _hands_ have been tipped." Tyrion snickered. "And as to that, if we're successful, my dear brother may be somewhat consoled by the fact that he now actually has a chance to retain _his_ hand . . . .

"In the meantime, I'll stay in touch with Mr. Gold by via text, and he can let the rest of you know when anything develops. Until then, all I can advise you to do is to be ready for _anything_."

When the meeting was over, Mr. Gold escorted Tyrion to the now empty school parking lot, where the Clegane Brothers would be coming soon to retrieve Jamie's Corvette. Mr. Gold said, "If the terms we have discussed are satisfactory, may I assume that _we_ have a deal?"

"You may," said Tyrion. "But know that if things go as swiftly as I expect them to, you may need to fulfill your end of the bargain sooner than either of us may realize."

"Just be sure that you live up to _your_ end," said Mr. Gold with a touch of caution. "Whatever happens, my grandson is NOT to be harmed!

"This arrangement between us is strictly a business deal, and while we may duly show each other some, ah, "professional courtesies;" we are _not_ friends, Tyrion Lannister.

"And do remember this, Dearie: No one _ever_ breaks a deal with me . . . ."

Tyrion shrugged. "No fear, Rumple. A Lannister _always_ pays his debts . . . ."

"So I have read," replied Mr. Gold dryly. Mr. Gold nodded, and then left Tyrion to await the Cleganes' arrival.


	4. The Lioness Pounces

**Chapter 4: The Lioness Pounces**

A few moments after Mr. Gold left to rejoin Regina and Emma, a white Hummer with heavily tinted windows in the livery of Kingsguard Security pulled up, and a huge man got out of the passenger's side. The powerful man nodded to Tyrion, and went over to Jaime's Corvette. "Sorry it took us so long to get here, Boss. We had a little . . . errand to run, first."

Gregor Clegane then started the Corvette, shrugged and said, "Mr. L said that he couldn't get her started. If something was wrong, it seems alright now."

Tyrion nodded. "Just get it straight back home, Greg. You know how much my brother likes his 'Vette. Oh, and Greg? Kindly stay within the speed limit; at least until you are out of this hick town. We don't want to give the local yokels any . . . excuses."

The big man shrugged, and then sped off back to Winterfell, getting the car to at least 40 before he even left the high school's parking lot. Tyrion was glad that Storybrooke High School had let out an hour earlier. He wouldn't put it past Gregor to run anyone over, (or at least, make like he was going to run anyone over,) on his way out.

When the Hummer didn't immediately follow the Corvette, Tyrion knew that, ready or not, things were starting to happen. And Tyrion's assessment of the situation was all but confirmed when Joffrey climbed out from the massive SUV's rear passenger's door and approached his uncle with an overconfident smirk.

"Am I to assume that we currently have Prince Henry as our 'guest,' Joffrey?" said Tyrion.

Joffrey smiled. "_And_ his wench; the 'Lady' Violet Morgan."

"Do tell . . . ?" said Tyrion neutrally. He then shrugged, and added, "Well then, I suppose we'd best be getting back home before our 'guests' are missed . . . ."

As Tyrion followed the Hummer in his Tesla, he sent a quick text message to Mr. Gold: "It's begun. We have Prince Henry _and_ Violet Morgan." A few moments later, he received Gold's reply: "Understood."

Tyrion then tried to text Cersei and Jaime. When several minutes passed, and it was apparent that there would be no reply, Tyrion smiled and spent the rest of the drive back to Winterfell in satisfied silence. His Dear Brother and Sweet Sister were either not paying attention, or they had forgotten that they _could_. Either way, his plan just _might_ work, after all . . . .

Henry Mills and Violet Morgan sat on a comfortable couch in the Lannisters' living room. But they were not alone. Both Gregor and Sandor Clegane stood silently with them, and kept them under close watch. When Violet gave Henry a worried look, he took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Uh, yeah . . . I probably should tell you that this kind of thing happens to me every so often, Violet . . . .

"When I was eleven, a couple of natives from this world named Greg and Tamara grabbed me, and took me to Neverland, where I was held by my Great-Grandfather Malcolm; AKA Peter Pan. But my family got me back.

"Then, a few years later, Cruella de Vil took me hostage, and my family rescued me a short time later. I'll tell you about what happened to Cruella, later.

"So don't worry, Violet. My moms and the rest of my family will come through for us. And I feel sorry for the Lannisters when they do . . . ."

Before Violet could reply, Cersei, Jaime and Tyrion Lannister came into the room. Joffrey was there, too, but he waited by the doorway. Violet gave Henry's hand a hard squeeze, urging him to be quiet. Henry could also feel that Violet was doing her best to not tremble. Facing Cersei directly, Henry said, "You realize that you've made a big mistake. My _moms_ are coming for us!"

Cersei's eyes flared with anger. Picking up on it, Gregor took a threatening step toward Henry. But before he could get any closer to the boy, Violet stood and addressed Cersei directly.

"Your Majesty," said Violet with a tightly controlled voice. "If it pleases you, my companion, Prince Henry – the Second of His Name – was raised his entire life in This World. He is a native of the Land Without Magic. He knows very little of the Fairy Tale Realms, much less his duties as a member of a Noble House!

"H-he knows not the proper courtesies and duties that are required of one who is a Royal Hostage! On his behalf, I beg your forgiveness, and enlightenment!"

It was Tyrion who replied to Violet. "And who are you, girl . . . ?"

"My Lord, I am Violet Morgan. The Daughter of Sir Morgan; a Knight of King Arthur's Round Table."

"King _Arthur_?" said Jaime with a touch of concern. "Of . . . _Camelot_ . . . ?"

"Yes, My Lord," said Violet.

Jaime moved closer to his sister, and said, _sotto voce_, "Well; _now_ we've done it, Sweet Sister. These Fairy Tales of the Enchanted Forest are a craven and naïve lot. But _Camelot_ is a Realm of High Fantasy, even as is Westeros." He jerked his head towards Gregor, and added, "Even The Mountain That Rides would have a hard time doing for the likes of Ser Lancelot, Ser Gawain or Ser Parsifal, much less against King Arthur, himself! Their reputations are _too_ well known . . . ."

"Not to worry, Dear Brother," said Cersei. "I made some discrete inquiries, and I'm given to understand that Ser Lancelot is no longer a threat, and that the other, aforementioned warriors of High Fantasy song and story have all returned to Camelot some time ago, along with their vaunted King Arthur.

"Only Ser Morgan – who was born a native of _this_ Realm - remains behind with his daughter, here in Storybrooke." Cersei then turned to Violet and smiled. "But not to worry, young lady; your precious King Arthur shall one day swear fealty to House Lannister, in all due time . . . .

"And as for you, Fairy Tale 'Prince;' please allow me to enlighten you of what is expected on your part as a 'guest' of the High Fantasy House of Lannister . . . ."

Henry gave Cersei his complete attention as she spoke, and it quickly became apparent that this was definitely _not_ a "been there, done that," case of being kidnapped. Queen Cersei was demanding nothing less than the complete and unconditional surrender of Storybrooke.

And Cersei had many, many demands that would lead to the complete subjugation of the Enchanted Forest people to the High Fantasy Westerosi. But it was the first of these demands that hit Henry Mills like a bucket full of ice-cold water.

"There's _no way_ that my mom Regina will agree to marry your _brother_," said Henry firmly, quickly adding, "Queen Cersei," when Violet gave him a firm, urgent poke with her elbow.

"It is the custom in _both_ of Our Worlds to seal such a treaty intended to merge two, warring Kingdoms, Prince Henry," replied Cersei reasonably. "Such Royal Marriages are intended to make the weaker party involved less inclined to resist in future. Of course, I intend a similar betrothal contract to be drawn up for Tommen the daughter of Prince Thomas and 'Princess' Cinderella . . . ."

Taking Violet's hand, Henry said, "And I suppose that you'll want _me_ to marry your daughter, Myrcella, too?"

"Do you think yourself worthy of marrying a Lannister, Prince Henry," said Cersei sharply. "Or do you take me for a _fool_ by proposing such an arrangement . . . ?

"Your 'mother' Queen Regina shall marry my brother, Ser Jaime. That is, if your 'mothers' ever want to see you and the Lady Violet, ever again.

"And now, Prince Henry, do We have your Parole . . . ?"

Henry turned to Violet, and saw her barely perceptible nod that he should do so.

"We're _waiting_, Prince Henry," said Jaime with a touch of impatience. "What say you?"

Henry took a deep breath, and said, "I, Prince Henry Mills of Storybrooke – the Second of My Name – hereby give my parole to House Lannister, on behalf of Myself, and my companion, the Lady Violet Morgan." It was only Violet's reassuring hand on his shoulder that kept Henry reasonably calm.

"There, now," said Cersei softly. "Was that really so difficult, Prince Henry?"

"Why are you doing this?" said Henry, barely able to conceal his frustration, causing Joffrey to smirk from the doorway.

Cersei smiled. "Your 'mothers' have offended me; especially Queen Regina. Oh, HOW she will pay for her insolence!"

Joffrey said, "Prince Henry was also insolent to me, mother! And I, too, demand satisfaction!"

"And you shall have it in all due time, son," said Cersei evenly. "But now that we have Prince Henry's parole, he is to be treated even as a member of the family, as is his companion, the Lady Violet of Camelot.

"Now, Joffrey, kindly show our guests to their rooms downstairs."

Joffrey gave his mother a slight bow, and then said to Sandor Clegane, "Come, Dog! You heard mother!" Then Henry and Violet were escorted to the basement of the Lannister Mansion.

As it happened, Mr. Gold was already with Regina and Emma when he got Tyrion's text informing him that Henry and Violet had been taken hostage. Soon after Tyrion had left Storybrooke, Regina had moved the meeting from the high school to her office in the Storybrooke Town Hall. During that time, David, Mary-Margaret, Jefferson, and Hank Morgan had also joined the group in person as they awaited Cersei's next move.

But by then, they already knew that Henry and Violet had been kidnapped by the Lannisters. As Henry and Violet left Granny's Diner; Paige Hatter and the Zimmer Twins saw a white Hummer pull alongside their friends, and then two big men came out and forced them in at gunpoint. Seconds later, they saw both Henry's and Violet's smartphones being tossed out the window before the Hummer sped off. Regina, Emma and the others got the news minutes before Tyrion's text.

As a precaution against further kidnappings, Granny Lucas was a few doors down in one of the Town Hall conference rooms, keeping an eye on Neil and Robin, while Zelena stood guard. Regina knew that her sister could more than handle any potential threat from the High Fantasy people; especially since their heaviest-hitter - Melisandre - had been the Black Fairy, and was no longer a threat.

"Pity, in a way," sassed Zelena. "I'd like to have shown that second-rate sorceress that in THIS world, "Red" means "Stop," and "Green" means "Go!"

When Emma replied that they already knew, Tyrion responded, "I can't say too much, now. But it so happens that Cersei wants me to address you, in person, within the hour. I can say more, then. Who's with you?"

When Emma texted back that Prince Charming, Snow White, and the Mad Hatter were there, as was Violet's father; Tyrion replied that the presence of Prince Thomas and Princess Cinderella was also requested, as was their daughter, Alexandra. Emma said that she would call them, and tell them to come to the Town Hall ASAP. Then, Tyrion advised them to do nothing more until they had agreed on a plan. Somewhat reluctantly, Regina agreed that this was for the best.

Moments later, Tyrion was on his way to Storybrooke, where Emma would meet him at the town line, and escort him the rest of the way.

Henry's and Violet's rooms in the Lannister family mansion were well appointed, clean and comfortable; each with its own full bathroom. But they were in the basement, with no direct windows open to the outside. Their doors would close for privacy, but lacked any kind of locks that would keep them in, (or anyone else _out_, for that matter.)

There was also a separate living area with a very modern home-entertainment system, as well as a small kitchenette stocked with refreshments. Even so, Joffrey brusquely informed Henry and Violet that they would take their meals with the rest of the family. Moreover, he added that they would have the full run of the house and the yard, so long as they kept to their word as Nobles that they would not attempt to escape.

Not that Henry imagined that there would be any chance of that. As they went into the basement, Henry could not help but notice that the basement door had a state-of-the-art cardkey lock. And even if this could be bypassed, that would still leave the small matter of leaving the Lannister Household grounds that were buried deep within a gated community that was still miles away from Storybrooke.

Henry also noted that Joffrey addressed him and Violet with stiff formality. As they were not related, and they were definitely not friends; Henry decided to do the same.

"Dinner will be in an hour," said Joffrey. "Mother insists that you join us." He then leaned in closer to Henry, and added, "Don't think that I haven't forgotten your manner with me at the school, earlier this afternoon, 'Prince' Henry.

"Though I am honor-bound to treat you and the Lady Violet as guests of House Lannister; 'accidents' may yet happen, and that sooner than you think!"

"I gave your mother, Queen Cersei, my parole, Prince Joffrey," said Henry evenly. "I suspect that your mother would not like for me to be 'careless' while a guest in your home . . . ."

Joffrey snorted at Henry, and then turned to Sandor, saying "Dog! Come!" Without another word, Joffrey strode up the basement stairs with his "dog" following closely behind him, leaving Henry and Violet alone in the Lannisters' basement, with nothing to sustain their spirits but hope.

And each other . . . .

Tyrion Lannister arrived at the Storybrooke town line alone, as promised, where Emma Swan was already waiting for him. Without getting out of the Sheriff's car, Emma motioned for Tyrion to follow her, and she led the way to the Town Hall - sirens off but with lights flashing - where the representative from House Lannister would be received by the assembled Storybrooke Nobility.

Once inside the town hall, Emma brought Tyrion to the Mayor's office, where Regina, David, Mary-Margaret, Hank Morgan and Mr. Gold were already waiting. After scanning the assembled group at the conference table, Tyrion said, "We seem to be short a few attendees."

Emma said, "Sean and Ashley - ah, _Prince Thomas_ and _Princess Cinderella_ \- called and said that they were en-route. Since Cersei specified that she wanted them to bring Alexandra with them, they had to stop off at the daycare to get her, first."

Tyrion nodded. A few moments later, Sean Herman and Ashley Boyd arrived with their daughter. Though both were nervous being in the same room as the former Dark One, they took their places, and nodded that they were ready to begin. Their five-year-old daughter sat quietly on her mom's lap, and looked around curiously, smiling at the small, blonde man. Tyrion returned the girl's smile, giving her a quick once-over, and then took out his phone to take a few pictures of the young family, before taking his place at the table.

"There's that, then," said Tyrion. "If you'd like, Princess Cinderella, you might want to take Alexandra to the conference room with the other Noble children of Storybrooke while we discuss the message my Sweet Sister and Dear Brother entrusted me to deliver."

"I – I don't understand," said Ashley nervously. "If you _didn't_ want me to hear what you had to say, then why make me take time off of _work_ and pull Alexandra out of _daycare_?"

Tyrion sighed inwardly, marveling at the degree of assimilation that had come over the Fairy Tale Expats since they were brought to the Land Without Magic by the Evil Queen's Dark Curse, and said, "Queen Cersei wanted me to meet the three of you, and give her my impressions, Princess Cinderella," said Tyrion. "It isn't my intention to keep _anything_ from you. Prince Thomas will be able to fill you in on everything we discuss when the meeting is concluded."

Ashly was about to protest, but her husband nodded to her that it would be alright, and after a moment, Ashley took Alexandra to the next room to be with Granny Lucas, Zelena, and the other kids.

When mother and daughter left, Sean said, "I have a very bad feeling about this . . . ."

Emma put a comforting hand on the young man's shoulder, and said, "We all do . . . ."

Regina said, "Alright, Tyrion. When you called, you said that you have a message from Cersei and Jaime about Henry and Violet. Spill it."

Tyrion said, "As you already know, Queen Regina, Prince Henry and the Lady Violet are currently the honored 'guests' of House Lannister."

Immediately after speaking the words, Tyrion silently canvassed everyone present. Regina, as expected was a mass of tightly controlled anger. Emma's eyes went wide, but she held her silence. Ser Morgan's expression remained stoic, but his fists were tightly clenched. Prince Charming and Princess Snow White both looked worried, and Prince Thomas turned pale as the implications of the situation began to dawn upon him. As for Mr. Gold, his face displayed concern on the surface, but Tyrion knew this to be a mummer's trick.

When nobody replied, Tyrion continued. "And as you've probably already guessed, the message I bear is that Cersei demands the unconditional surrender of Storybrooke to Winterfell. It seems that you are to be her first step in the total domination – first, of the Fictional Realms - and then eventually, of The Land Without Magic, itself."

"She's wackadoodle." Regina said flatly.

"No arguments, there," agreed Tyrion. "But, there you have it."

Hank Morgan said, "Ty – My Lord, how are Violet and Prince Henry being treated?"

Tyrion held up a reassuring hand, and said, "Prince Henry has given his parole, and they are being treated well, Ser Morgan, in full accordance to the protocols and courtesies that apply in matters like this in disputes between Noble Houses; provided of course, that neither of them violate their parole in any way."

Tyrion then stated his sister's terms as the Storybrookers listened silently. When he was done, Emma said, "Wait, Cersei wants Regina to _marry_ Jaime?" And then, adding a bit more cattily than she intended to be, "Won't Cersei get jealous having to _share_ Jaime with Regina . . . ?"

Calmly, Regina said, "Arrangements like this are fairly standard in the "Old Country," Emma. "But in truth, Cersei Lannister only has to 'share' her brother with me once, for her plan to annex Storybrooke to work.

"Cersei wants me to marry Jaime, and as soon as the marriage is consummated, she will then expect me to _abdicate_ in his favor; effectively handing Storybrooke over to him. That will leave Jaime free to legitimately swear allegiance to his sister – Jaime is her liegeman by birth, after all – and that will formally unite the Realms of Storybrooke and Westeros.

"Sloppy seconds really isn't my style, Emma," sassed Regina with intentional cattiness. "Especially since we all know where "it" has been. But being forced to share a bed – however briefly - with 'Sir' Jaime Lannister is _not_ the worst of it.

"In order to ensure Our fealty, and to guard against Jaime from having any, shall we say, 'fatal heart attacks' on our wedding night; Henry and Violet are likely to remain the 'guests' of House Lannister, _indefinitely_ – even if we comply with all of Cersei's demands . . . ."

Prince Thomas said, "Then why does Queen Cersei _also_ want a betrothal contract between Alexandra and Tommen?"

It was Prince Charming who answered. "I suspect that Cersei wants to fully dominate the Fairy Tale Realms; to make us submissive to the Realms of High Fantasy."

"That makes sense," said Snow. "What else does she want of us, Tyrion?"

"Dozens of things, great and small," said Tyrion. "One of my Sweet Sister's other main demands is that the administration of the Storybrooke School District shall be taken over by our Septons and Septas, who shall be replacing your Fairies/Nuns in all teaching roles; all the better to facilitate your people's orderly conversion to the Faith of the Seven."

"Really . . . ?" said Snow White, shaking her head in surprised disbelief. "Anything _else_ . . . ?"

Tyrion continued. "Cersei also demands, as a further precaution, that all apple trees are hereby ordered to be cut down, and that none more shall be planted. Apparently, Cersei is worried about Fairy Tales with access to apples . . . ."

"It would seem," said Regina, "that my reputation is well known."

"It's not just that anything with apples can be readily _weaponized_ by Fairy Tale witches," said Tyrion. "Cersei sees lemon cakes as being more proper fare for High Fantasy dining than apple turnovers, tarts and pies; which are only fit for, and I quote, "Baseborn Fairy Tale Trash."

David nodded. "She wants to subjugate us culturally as well as physically."

"That's the truth of it, Prince Charming," said Tyrion. "Or maybe, Cersei just likes the thought of seeing you squirm . . . ."

"Mission accomplished," said Emma. "They're getting what they expect."

"Unless," said Tyrion raising an eyebrow. "You _don't_ do what they expect . . . ."

"What do you mean by that?" said Regina. "You should know that I'm in no mood for _riddles_."

"This, then: Cersei and Jaime are expecting you to follow the established rules and traditions in matters such as these, and they are either prepared for you to agree with their terms, or to attempt to take Henry and Violet back by besieging our "castle." And if you chose to play by those rules, you will only lose your Kingdom if you chose the first course of action. But, if you chose the second, not only will you lose your Kingdom, but Cersei will see to it that you will never see your son, or Ser Morgan's daughter, ever again."

Tyrion then turned to Emma, and said, "You're the Sheriff of Storybrooke; a modern, 21st Century Town in the United States of America, in the Land Without Magic. How would _you_ handle something like this: A crime family syndicate takes the mayor's son and his friend hostage, and makes unreasonable demands in exchange for their safe return . . . ?"

Immediately, Emma replied, "Well, for starters, I _wouldn't_ negotiate with hostage takers, unless it was to buy time. And I'd probably send in a SWAT Team to rescue the hostages.

"But won't Cersei be expecting something like that?"

Tyrion shook his head. "Cersei is still going by the Old Traditions – she and our brother are, you might say, "traveling on momentum," at present. And this gives us the advantage – our _only_ advantage, I might add.

"She either expects you to capitulate, or attempt to lay siege to our 'castle,' with an army," said Tyrion. But she _won't_ expect a 21st Century-style, 'Dynamic Entry' rapid-response that includes a hostage rescue. Such affairs did not happen so quickly, back in the "Old Country." But thanks to the technology available in the Land Without Magic; they will move much, much faster than either Cersei or Jaime will be able to process, adding further to their current disorientation."

"That makes sense," said Emma. "But to do that, we'd need intelligence about the internal layout of the Lannister Mansion; especially where Henry and Violet are being held. And anyway, Storybrooke doesn't _have_ a SWAT Team."

Tyrion smiled. "I can provide you with the former. For that matter, we even have some help from the inside in the form of Myrcella and Tommen, who will be able to let us know exactly where Prince Henry and the Lady Violet are being held."

"That still leave the small matter of the availability of a SWAT Team," said Regina skeptically.

Still smiling, Tyrion added, "Storybrooke may lack a SWAT Team. But Winterfell has one. And it so happens that I know an "Officer Jon Snow" who is on it . . . ."


	5. Dinner with the Lannisters

**Chapter 5: Dinner with the Lannisters**

Henry and Violet discussed their current situation as they waited to be called for dinner. Fortunately, Violet had been raised in the High Fantasy Realm of Camelot, and was able to answer some basic questions that Henry had about their captors' motives.

"I still don't understand why they aren't going to force me to marry Myrcella," said Henry, adding quickly, "Not that I'm complaining, of course . . . .

"But I thought that was how High Fantasy people liked to do "hostile takeovers," like this."

Violet said, "That's why Queen Cersei wants your _mom_ to marry her _brother_, Henry. It's also why she thought that you were trying to play her for the fool by suggesting a marriage between you and her daughter. Marrying you to Myrcella could easily "_backfire_" on House Lannister.

"Uh, did I use _that_ word correctly, Henry?"

Henry smiled and nodded. Though he loved the way Violet spoke at times like she just came straight off the pages of a Jane Austen novel, he also loved the way that she was acclimating with aplomb to the 21st Century Land Without Magic. Somewhat idly, Henry wondered how well he would adjust if he suddenly found himself in "the future" on Commander Shepard's _Normandy_. Not as good as Violet's doing, here and now, he had to admit to himself . . . .

Violet explained that if Queen Cersei had demanded a betrothal between Henry and Myrcella, it _would_ be a dynastic marriage that would seal an _alliance_ between Storybrooke and Westeros. But because Henry is the male; Storybrooke would remain his birthright, to be left to his heirs, regardless of whether or not Myrcella was their mother – or Cersei was his mother-in-law.

As for Westeros, it already _had_ a male heir in Joffrey, so nothing would be gained by forcing Henry into a marriage with House Lannister - quite the opposite, in fact. Once Henry and Myrcella were formally wed, all that would be needed is for Joffrey to have an 'unfortunate accident;' leaving Henry to inherit _both_ Realms of Storytelling. For that matter, if Henry died – 'accidentally' or even naturally – Westeros would get zip. And as for House Lannister, Henry's widow Myrcella would be lucky to get bus fare home back to Westeros.

Henry thought on that, and nodded. Though he could not imagine either of his moms, or Grandpa Charming and Grandma Snow, arranging an 'accident' for Prince Joffrey Baratheon; his Grandpa Rumple was another matter, entirely . . . .

"Besides," added Violet. "Since Queen Regina is not your biological mother – or as we'd say in Camelot, "you are not of her blood;" by High Fantasy Law, you really _can't_ inherit _anything_ from her."

Again, Henry nodded. Though he really _was_ a prince, he never really thought of himself in those terms. At school, he was "just one of the guys," and he liked it that way. But this was one of those times when he was truly grateful for his "Royal Privilege" that would protect Violet and himself. Still, he could not stop thinking about Joffrey's earlier comment about him having an "accident."

Sensing his worry, Violet smiled reassuringly, and said, "Don't worry, Henry. You are _still_ the son of Princess Emma, _and_ the grandson of Prince Charming and Princess Snow White. If the Lannisters follow their own rules – and I have no reason to think that they won't – then we are still safe from harm."

"Maybe from Queen Cersei and Sir Jaime," admitted Henry, "even if their reasons for not harming us are purely practical ones.

"But I'm still worried about Joffrey. He's _really_ got it in for me . . . ."

Violet could see Henry's point. From what little she knew about the Westerosi, they could be paranoid, violent, sadistic and capricious; and those were their _good_ qualities.

About a year earlier, Violet had started to read "A Song of Ice and Fire," which she requested from the Storybrooke Library, where it was actually filed in the "History" section. The thought made Violet roll her eyes. _Only in Storybrooke . . . ._

Violet had been attracted to that book after reading a collection of stories by the same Author about a Noble Knight known as Ser Duncan the Tall, and his squire, Egg; who was actually the young Prince Aegon Targaryen. It was a true tale of a man of honor and chivalry in a land that was sorely in need of all the examples of honor and chivalry that it could get.

After reading about the Noble Ser Duncan and Egg, Violet eagerly sought out more books by the same Author, and was intrigued to find a sequel; imagining it to be stories of how now the Seven Kingdoms would certainly experience a Renaissance once Prince Aegon, (who learned true honor - as well as sword and lance - from the stalwart Ser Duncan,) ascended the Iron Throne. Truly, it _had_ to be the start of a Golden Age that would rival that of Camelot itself.

But Violet barely made it through the first chapter of the book before returning it to the Storybrooke Library. She _hated_ to return a book unread. But the librarian – Henry's step-grandmother, Belle - just smiled wanly, and said, "Not what you were expecting was it?"

That was when Violet Morgan first learned the meaning of the Land Without Magic phrase, "understatement."

Instead of a world of tales befitting her own world of Camelot; the Seven Kingdoms was a dark, depressing world. It was a _Moral Dystopia_ that had more in common with Orwell than Tolkien, with nothing to offer other than despair and cynicism instead of hope; a world where even the _ability_ to "do the right thing" was not even offered as a _choice._ It was a world where ruthlessness was rewarded and honor was severely punished. In many ways, the Seven Kingdoms was a "Failed Camelot."

And now, this world was trying to conquer Storybrooke . . . .

Henry seemed to be reading her mind when he said, "I probably shouldn't have given the Lannisters my parole. Now, we can't even _try_ to escape on our own . . . ." Henry shook his head in frustration. From what he saw, escape was all but impossible. And now that he gave his word that he wouldn't try, they truly were trapped, even if the opportunity happened to present itself.

Violet put her hand on Henry's shoulder, and said, "You did the right thing, Henry; just like you did for Sansa back at school, earlier today. And that's how we'll win, in the end.

"Storybrooke isn't Westeros, and it _never_ will be, so long as we keep to our Fairy Tale values. But if we try to match the Lannisters' High Fantasy Machiavellianism on Steroids, (two more Land Without Magic terms that she recently learned,) then not only will we lose; we'll have given up _everything_ we're trying to protect, and we will _deserve_ to lose!"

"But I promised that we wouldn't try to escape," said Henry.

Violet smiled, and said, "But that does not mean that you have to _refuse_ to be rescued; just that we can't take an active part in any plot to rescue us. But if your moms come for us, the Lannisters _can't_ stop us from going with them; whatever else you may have promised them.

"And I have faith and hope that your mothers _will_ rescue us, Henry!"

Henry and Violet hugged each other, as much an act of agreement as comfort. Moments later, Sandor Clegane came to escort them upstairs for dinner with their 'hosts.'

Captain Jeor Mormont of the Winterfell Police Department, and Winterfell's District Attorney Aemon Targaryen, listened patiently to what Tyrion Lannister had to say about how his siblings had kidnapped two kids from the neighboring town of Storybrooke; one of them the son of Storybrooke's Mayor, Regina Mills.

When Tyrion was finished, Capt. Mormont said, "I've been part of this Department for as long as I can remember, Mr. Lannister. But in all that time, I never would have believed that a _Lannister_ would rat out his own family.

"What's that old Valyrian word you Andals like to use? _Omerta_ . . . ?"

"Besides," said DA Targaryen, "_Nobody_ who's ever tried to cross Ms. C's ever lived to tell about it, much less made it to court to testify against her."

"And anyway," said Capt. Mormont. "We could never catch her or her brother Jaime doing anything illegal. They're just too damned _slick_ to get caught. And their lawyer, Mr. Pycelle, is as slick as they are. We bring them in, and he'll have 'em out before we can even finish the paperwork."

"And in the meantime, any witnesses tend to just . . . disappear," added DA Targaryen thoughtfully, as he tapped his folded, red and white cane against the edge of Capt. Mormont's desk. "Or develop "amnesia."

Tyrion nodded, and said reasonably, "But those times were about _relatively_ minor crimes, like extortion, 'protection,' or loan sharking; stuff that tends to require witnesses willing to testify.

"This time, we do have victims willing to fully cooperate with the authorities. It would seem that my 'dear' brother and 'sweet' sister" have fatally underestimated Mayor Mills."

DA Targaryen said, "You mean, _Regina_ Mills? Isn't she the one they use to call "The Evil Queen of the Enchanted Forest," back in the Old Country?"

"She is," said Tyrion. "Or rather, she was. She now holds the title of "Elected Queen of the United Realms."

"Yeah," said Capt. Mormont dryly. "I think I may have voted for her . . . ."

"And Henry Mills' _other_ mom, Emma Swan, is the daughter of Prince Charming and Princess Snow White," added Tyrion. "In any case, my sister and brother grabbed Henry and his friend, Violet Morgan, and are currently holding them against their will at our family home in the King's Landing Subdivision."

"That's a pretty ritzy address," said Capt. Mormont, shaking his head. "More to the point, it's a _gated community_. They have guards at all entrances, who could signal the Lannisters if they so much as see a patrol car, much less a SWAT Team Van. Probably even got video cameras set up all over the property, seein' that Boss J runs Kingsguard Security."

"They do," said Tyrion nodding. "But I've got the security codes and passwords that you can use to hack the system.

"In addition to being Henry Mills' biological mother, Emma Swan is also the Sheriff of Storybrooke, and has promised Storybrooke's full cooperation with Winterfell to get her son and Miss Morgan back home safely."

After a few moments of silence, DA Targaryen said, "I think I've got enough for a warrant, Jeor. How soon can your SWAT Team be ready to deploy?"

"Right away," said Captain Mormont, who then he used his desk phone to call in one of his officers. A few moments later, a somewhat boyish, portly man with acne, who looked nothing at all like a typical SWAT Team grunt, came in; fidgeting nervously as he took his place next to Capt. Mormont's desk. "He may not look like much. But this is our best computer hacker, Officer Sam Tarly.

"Sam? Mr. Lannister here will be giving you some passwords. We'll need you to hack the security cameras at the Lannisters' home so they won't see us coming until it's too late."

Officer Tarly nodded, and said, "I should be able to record and "loop" some security footage. That'll give us the cover we need."

"Good enough," said Chief Mormont. "And tell your buddy Jon to get his pooch ready. We may need Ghost's nose to sniff out the missing kids." The young man nodded, and left to prepare.

As Tyrion got up to leave, he added, "Oh, and one more thing. You should know that Mayor Baratheon is _not_ involved in his wife's or brother-in-law's criminal activities in _any_ way, and neither is Deputy Mayor Stark. Their only 'crime' is being clueless idiots.

"Not only will I testify to their innocence in a court of law, but once the Mayor and Deputy Mayor find out just how . . . _closely_ Jaime and Cersei are actually _involved_ with each other; I suspect that you will have both Rob's and Ned's _full_ cooperation when you prosecute."

DA Targaryen nodded, and with a practiced hand, extended his folding cane to its full length, as he stood. "I'll get to work on that Warrant."

Capt. Mormont sighed, more with relief than exasperation. "I've got a good feeling about this one, Aemon. We could _never_ get anything on the Lannisters when Old Man Tywin ran the family business.

"But this time, the Lannister Twins have gone too far, and we've finally got 'em . . . ."

Sandor Clegane silently escorted Henry and Violet to a long, elegantly set table in the Lannister family's dining room, where Cersei and Jaime were already waiting for them. When they entered, Cersei said, "Our sons and daughter shall join us, momentarily. But before they do, I want to make a few things crystal clear, Prince Henry.

"Though our eldest son, Joffrey is, as you are aware, 'awakened;' our daughter Myrcella and our youngest son, Tommen, are still unaware of their past lives in Westeros. When questioned a few moments ago, all they know of is their "Cursed" memories of the Land Without Magic, and their false memories of lives in the Enchanted Forest."

Jaime added, "They already know that you are the grandson of Prince Charming and Princess Snow White, and that the Lady Violet is from Camelot. But they do not know that We come from High Fantasy stock, ourselves, and may not know this for several more days, at most."

"Because of this," said Cersei firmly, and with a tincture of threat, "I would ask that you, Prince Henry, and that you, Lady Violet, do NOT say anything that might . . . upset or confuse them."

Without pause, Henry said, "I understand, Queen Cersei."

Cersei then indicated that Henry should sit at the space to the right of her place at the foot of the table. Henry nodded, and started to pull out the chair to his own right for Violet to sit in as he noted Cersei raising an eyebrow in exasperation. Henry thought, _What have I done, now . . . ?_

Defusing a potential 'incident,' Violet said formally, "If it pleases you, Prince Henry, it is customary for you, as the Guest of Honour, to sit at the right of Our Host, Queen Cersei.

"But _my_ proper place is further down the table, next to Sir Jaime." Violet went halfway down the table to sit demurely next to Jaime, daring to give Henry a quick, "It's alright," look as she did.

A few moments after Henry took his place, Joffrey, Myrcella and Tommen arrived to take theirs. Henry was relieved that Joffrey didn't take a seat anywhere near him, but sat as far away from him as possible, to the right of the table's head; the spot that 'Mayor' Robert Baratheon would likely take. Both boys regarded each other warily before Joffrey said, "Mother, will father be joining us for dinner, tonight?"

"No, Joffrey," said Cersei evenly. "Your father must work late at the Town Hall, again."

Tommen said, "Why does dad _always_ have to work late, mom? I _hate_ it when he's so far away."

Henry suppressed a shiver as he imagined how his mom Regina would likely respond to the young High Fantasy boy's question, and smiled wanly in spite of himself.

Noticing this, Joffrey spat, "Do you find something _amusing_, Prince Henry?"

"Not exactly amusing, Prince Joffrey, said Henry as casually as he could manage. "I'm just glad that we were able to arrive at an _understanding. _Things were getting a little bit intense, before we did, what with being suddenly grabbed off the street at gunpoint, and all . . . .

"But it looks like something's on _your _mind that has you distracted . . . ."

Before Joffrey could reply, Cersei said, "Yes, son, _something_ does seem to be occupying your thoughts. Do tell . . . ."

Not taking his eyes off of Henry, Joffrey said, "It's the _Peregrine Falcon_ that I received as a gift from Grandfather Tywin just before the Red Woman's Curse."

Jaime said, "Oh, so? Did she escape?"

"No, uncle; she was . . . _transformed_ by the Curse in the same manner as Lion's Tooth."

"How so?"

Joffrey's face turned red. "She's now a _quadcopter drone_! I can't go hawking with _that_! These natives of the Land Without Magic are so _uncivilized_!" Henry now bit down so hard to keep from laughing that he could taste blood.

Myrcella turned to Henry, and said, "Do _you_ have a falcon, Prince Henry?"

"Uh, no, _Princess_ Myrcella," said Henry, who barely remembered to use her title.

"I suppose you've got a drone, Price Henry," said Tommen. "My friend at school, Bran Stark, has one, too. He can fly it really good! He likes looking at things from high up!"

"But you _can't_ go hawking with one," snapped Joffrey, who then smiled, and added, "_I'd _like to go hunting again, soon, Uncle Jaime. Perhaps we will bring Prince Henry along, as well . . . .

"You _do know_ the ways of the crossbow, _don't_ you, Prince Henry?"

"My mom's friend Robin showed me how to use one, Prince Joffrey," said Henry nodding. "And he also showed me how to use a longbow, too."

"_Robin_ . . . ?" said Jaime uneasily. "That wouldn't happen to be _the_ Robin of Locksley - _Robin Hood_ \- would it, Prince Henry . . . ?"

Henry nodded, and said, "Yes, Sir Jaime. But I've never been hunting, before. I'll go with you if I'm invited. But you'd need to show me how."

Joffrey was about to reply, but Cersei quickly cut her son off. "Then there will be _no_ hunting with Prince Henry. As a novice, he might scare the game away, at best . . . or injure himself, at worse. And we _wouldn't_ want Our honored _guest_ to suffer any 'unfortunate accidents,' would we, Joffrey? The Hunt can be a dangerous sport, you know . . . ."

Though Henry had not read "A Song of Ice and Fire," much less watched "Game of Thrones" on television, he had picked-up some of the basics through cultural osmosis, including King Robert Baratheon's death by "hunting accident" in the original storyline. And even though this hadn't happened, yet, (and might not happen at all in this 'version' of their story,) that _didn't_ mean that Queen Cersei – who would easily make Alexis Carrington-Colby look like June Cleaver - had any _other_ plans in mind to do away with the husband she despised.

But Henry _also_ realized that this meant – at least for the moment - that Cersei _was_ serious about not harming him or Violet, and was letting Joffrey know this in no uncertain terms. This thought made Henry relax a little, but only a little. If Violet was right, they were likely to be the 'guests' of House Lannister for a very long time, and neither Queen Cersei nor Sir Jaime could watch over their 'guests' 24/7; meaning that Joffrey had time on _his_ side.

When they were all seated, and it became clear that nobody else would be joining them, a servant came in and began filling the wine glasses. Henry blinked. Not only did they fill his and Violet's and Joffrey's cups, but the servant _also_ filled Myrcella's and Tommen's cups as well! Violet saw that Henry was about to comment, and flashed him a warning look that Queen Cersei also noticed.

"Don't tell me that your 'moms' don't permit you to enjoy wine with your meals, Prince Henry?" said Queen Cersei with amusement as she took a dainty sip from her own glass. She then sighed with resignation. "Sadly, when you are used to the Arbor Gold of the Old Country; this native," she checked the label, "'Chardonnay' is a poor substitute."

"Well, normally my moms want me to drink milk with our meals," said Henry. "But, sometimes they let me have a soda or an iced latte when we eat out." The comment made Joffrey laugh out loud, despite his mother's look of disapproval.

Tommen said, "I like iced milk with honey, Prince Henry!"

"That actually sounds pretty good, Prince Tommen," said Henry hopefully.

"We drink _wine_ with our meals," said Sir Jaime. "As is only proper."

Joffrey raised an eyebrow, and said, "Perhaps Prince Henry thinks that we're trying to _poison_ him and the Lady Violet, mother?"

Queen Cersei gave her son another disapproving look, and said, "I'm sure that Prince Henry knows that we _wouldn't_ do that, son." She then turned to Henry, and added, "It is proper in both of our genres for those of our station to take wine at meals, Prince Henry."

Henry took his glass, and said, "Well, if you inses . . . _insist_," before taking a bigger swallow than he intended. The alcohol burned his throat, and Henry had to force himself to not gag on the wine and his near Freudian Slip. Even so, the room seemed to chill noticeably.

Without skipping a beat, Cersei said, "I have read the book, "Once Upon A Time," Prince Henry. I believe that it is a comprehensive history of _your_ people's lives in the Enchanted Forest?"

His throat dry, all Henry could do was nod.

Cersei took another sip, and said, "And yet, when you compare the accounts in _that_ book with the stories told about your people in _this_ world – this Land Without Magic – one gets a completely different impression . . . .

"For example, the benighted natives of this world would think that your mother, the 'Evil' Queen, wanted to kill Princess Snow White simply because she thought that the princess was "fairer" than she was.

"But what would these dear, native Land Without Magic readers think if they knew the _actual_ story, Prince Henry . . . ?

"What would they think if they knew that your 'evil' mother was angry with her sweet, innocent step-daughter; your _grandmother_ – oh, I get such a _headache_ just thinking about _your_ family's tree! – because the 'good' Princess Snow White revealed a _secret_ that Queen Regina entrusted her with, and that revelation cost the life of the man your "evil" mother so dearly loved . . . ?"

Queen Cersei took another delicate sip of wine to let that thought sink in, and continued, "And so it is with those of us from the Realms of High Fantasy, Prince Henry. _Our_ stories get just as distorted in the retelling, by the time they arrive in _this_ world, even as the lies of jealous, rival nobles and the gullible smallfolk are retold as 'truth.'

"Know this, Prince Henry and Lady Violet: My children _are_ the issue of King Robert Baratheon, regardless of what "our Author" claims.

"And now, no more shall be spoken of this. Indeed, once our Houses are united by marriage, _all_ such loose talk shall be severely punished by law _throughout_ the United Realms.

"Ah, here comes the first course."

As Cersei spoke, a servant came in with the first course; a marinated antipasto salad with sliced, Italian bread.

Cersei said, "I'll ask you to please excuse the native fare. Once your mother has sworn fealty to House Lannister and our rule is firmly established, then all of the old ways and traditions – including the more civilized cuisine – shall be brought back by Royal Decree.

"As for the main course, it will be another native dish called "Lasagna." I hope that you will find it hearty."

"I will," said Henry nodding. "My mother likes to make lasagna, herself, Queen Cersei."

"Well, isn't she every bit the queen," said Jaime dryly.

"Good jape, uncle," said Joffrey.

Henry said, "Actually, in this world, it's called a "_diss_," Prince Joffrey. But my mom's lasagna really is very good!"

"Not that I asked you, but that will change in due time, Prince Henry," said Joffrey coldly, as he exchanged a wink of victory with his 'uncle;' proud to have gotten in the last word.

The meal continued through dessert with very little additional conversation taking place. Mostly, it was Cersei who spoke, and when she did speak, it was either to remind Joffrey of his "courtesies," or to give her grand vision of what the United Realms would be like under High Fantasy rule. Whenever Henry or Violet did speak, it was either to say, "Yes, Queen Cersei," or "Yes, Sir Jaime." Much to Henry's and Violet's relief, the meal went relatively smoothly and without further incident. But both knew that this was just the first of what was likely to be many, many meals – three times a day – with their 'gracious hosts,' for the foreseeable future.

When they were finished, Sandor Clegane was asked to escort Henry and Violet back to their rooms. But before he could, Tommen said, "Mother, before they turn in for the night, could Prince Henry and Lady Violet come to my room and play some games? I asked Joffrey, but he said he was busy, and Myrcella does not like Super Mario Cart."

Cersei said, "I suppose that would be alright. But don't stay up too late.

"And Sandor? I want you to accompany our guests." She then turned to Henry and Violet, and added, "Please don't think that I do not trust your word, now that your Parole is given. But if you are going to be near a computer, I want to help you avoid any unnecessary . . . temptations."

Upstairs in Tommen's room, Sandor Clegane watched Henry and Violet closely as they took turns playing Super Mario Cart, since Tommen only had two controllers.

"If we had another controller, we could all play," said Tommen. "Joffrey has one. I'll go and get it." Tommen started to get up, but Sandor put a gentle hand on his shoulder to stop him.

"You need to _ask_ your brother, first," said the big man in a voice so gentle that it took Henry and Violet completely off guard. "Trust me; you do NOT want to _take_ something from your big brother without asking him, first . . . ."

"A-alright," said Tommen, getting up to leave. "I'll be back."

A few moments later, Tommen came back with Joffrey's controller, and plugged it in, handing it to Henry, who felt some folded paper attached to the bottom of the handset with a roll of Scotch Tape. He then casually put it in his pocket when Sandor was not looking.

After a few more rounds of Super Mario Cart, Sandor Clegane said that it was time for Henry and Violet to return to their rooms in the basement. As soon as they were left alone, Henry and Violet looked at the note that Tommen had slipped to them:

"_Be ready to go at 2:30 am. Be on the floor away from the door. Your moms are coming." _


	6. Unfamiliar Feelings

**Chapter 6: Unfamiliar Feelings**

Mr. Gold got Tyrion's text around 8 pm, letting him know that the Winterfell SWAT Team's raid on the Lannister Mansion to rescue Henry and Violet was scheduled for early the next morning. The message also said that Sheriff Emma Swan should expect a phone call in a few minutes from the Winterfell Police Commissioner, who planned to liaise with them directly, while Capt. Mormont led the raid. Mr. Gold immediately brought everyone else up to speed.

By then, the Storybrooke Town Hall had taken on the atmosphere of a full-on command center. Tables with refreshments, (including plenty of coffee,) had been set up; both in Mayor Mills' office, and the smaller conference room down the hall, where Granny Lucas, Zelena, Prince Thomas and Cinderella kept watch over the noble children of Storybrooke. That room even had a few cots set up for the children, and anyone else trying to catch a quick catnap. But if everything worked the way they all hoped and planned, Henry and Violet should be safely back in Storybrooke before sunrise the next morning.

The assembled group in Mayor Mills' office, as well as the smaller group a few doors down, had just finished eating their own dinner an hour earlier, having ordered takeout from Granny's Diner. Though Granny Lucas was among them, her new assistants; a trio of woman from a Sitcom Realm, (by way of the Land of Untold Stories,) were keeping the diner running smoothly, allowing Granny Lucas to devote her full attention to the situation at hand.

"Don't you worry yourself, none, Mrs. Lucas," the new waitress named Flo had told Granny before she left for the town hall. "Alice, Vera and I can handle things at this end."

But before Granny Lucas could reply, an especially grumpy Leroy demanded a coffee refill, pronto. When Flo rounded to the former Fairy Dust miner and told him to, "Kiss my grits!" Granny knew that she was leaving her beloved diner in good hands . . . .

A few minutes later, Emma got the expected phone call from the Police Commissioner of Winterfell, a man named Brynden Rivers. Regina indicated to Emma that she should step out to take the call. When Regina was reasonably sure they wouldn't be overheard, she then asked David and Mary-Margaret to see what they could find out about 'Commissioner' Brynden Rivers, online.

After some quick research, Mary-Margaret said, "Well, in the Old Country, this guy was quite the character, and that's putting it mildly."

Mr. Gold added, "Imagine a cross between Lucius Malfoy and Nick Fury."

"So, he's a wizard," Regina said dryly. "If push comes to shove, can we take him out, Rumple?"

"Oh, aye," said Mr. Gold nodding. "Ser Brynden Rivers - also known as "Lord Bloodraven" - is powerful, and no mistake. But he lacks our magical combat skills. Either of us could have his heart out and crushed before he could blink the one eye he's got.

"But it's likely that he's "awakened," and if that's so, I wouldn't put it past him to have woven some kind of 'deadman' curse against us before he spoke with Emma.

"There is a lot of information about him, online. But whatever else he may be, he's no friend of the Lannisters. And whatever his faults, he _does_ seem to care about his people's welfare."

David added, "He also seems to be something of a pragmatist, like Tyrion. I think we can work with him."

Regina said, "But the bottom line is, can we _trust_ him . . . ?"

Before either of the Charmings could answer, Emma came back into Regina's office, and said, "Commissioner Rivers wants us all to come to the Winterfell Police Station in a few hours, and to wait there until Capt. Mormont calls to let us know that the hostages are safe.

"The good news is that he seems to be taking this whole affair seriously, and made it clear that he wants to avoid _any_ kind of inter-genre confrontation at all costs. He also said that he would like his people to be able to acclimate to this world as smoothly as possible, and he would be thankful for any assistance that we may provide in that matter."

"Fair enough," said Regina nodding; her question more or less answered. She then sighed and shook her head in frustration. Even though the Winterfell Authorities seemed to have everything well in hand, she hated to just sit by and do nothing while Henry and Violet were being held captive. "Emma, I – I feel so . . . so _helpless_ . . . ."

"Well, it just so happens that there _is_ something that you _can_ do, in the meantime," said Emma. When Regina raised an eyebrow, Emma continued, "Cersei will be expecting an answer to the demands that Tyrion delivered a few hours earlier.

"Commissioner Rivers and Capt. Mormont both think that it might put the Lannisters off-guard if we called them _now_, and let them know that you do agree to marry Jaime, but that you want to arrange a proper meeting to discuss some of the finer points of the treaty."

Regina nodded approvingly. In the Enchanted Forest – and likely in the Seven Kingdoms, as well – matters involving royal captives tended to take on a slow tempo after the hostages had been seized. In worlds without instantaneous communications, such matters tended to be more stately and measured.

For that matter, Tyrion had not demanded an answer on Cersei's behalf before he left. Instead, the Lannisters would patiently await a messenger from Storybrooke, and knew that such a reply might not come for several weeks; hence the established protocols for the proper treatment of royal captives.

For the first time since Henry and Violet had been taken captive, Regina allowed herself a thin smile, and asked Emma to text Tyrion for Cersei's number.

"I wonder if Cersei will want to do this by videoconference?" said Emma.

"I'd almost prefer that we _don't_," replied Regina thoughtfully. "In the Old Country, these matters were normally done face-to-face, or through formal messages sent by courier. If the Lannisters are still disoriented from just having 'woke up;' then calling them cold like this, audio only, with an immediate reply should _really_ screw with their minds . . . ."

Joffrey had wanted Sansa to attend dinner with them, that evening. But all attempts to call or text Sansa proved to be fruitless. His calls kept going to her "voicemail," and her texts went unanswered, before the time came for him to go to dinner with their new 'guests.'

After dinner, Joffrey tried to contact Sansa again, and got the same results. Slowly, it began to dawn on him that Sansa was deliberately ignoring him, causing his frustration and anger to build. And as this happened, he found himself staring at his smartphone like it was not simply useless, but that it was actually aiding and abetting Sansa's mockery. With a grunt of rage, Joffrey threw the phone against the wall, making the screen crack.

Joffrey then went over to the laptop on his desk with the vague idea of sending Sansa an email, but when he sat down, he realized that he had momentarily forgotten how such a thing was accomplished. In another burst of rage, Joffrey slammed the screen down hard.

His eyes then fell on the landline telephone on his nightstand. But after taking a few, deep breaths, the High Fantasy Prince realized that he would have no more luck with that device than with his (now totally useless) smartphone and laptop.

Reluctantly, Joffrey also realized that if he was to contact Sansa; he would need help. In order to prevent the Fairy Tales from acquiring royal hostages of their own, mother informed him and his siblings that they would not be allowed to leave the mansion until word came back that Queen Regina agreed to their terms. So much for having his dog drive him over to the Starks' home in downtown Winterfell . . . .

Then Joffrey thought of another option. Maybe he could have Myrcella or Tommen contact the Stark kids to get a message to Sansa for him: Tell her that he just wanted to talk to her; that's all.

Besides, Tommen owed him for the loan of his controller . . . .

Joffrey found Tommen in his room, and Myrcella was with him. Tommen said, "Oh, I've got your controller, if you want it back, now. Thanks for letting us use it!"

"That's not why I'm here," said Joffrey. "I'm having . . . a problem reaching Sansa by phone."

"Have you tried turning it off and on, again . . . ?" said Myrcella helpfully.

"Maybe you need to recharge it," added Tommen.

Pushing down the rage, Joffrey said, "There's nothing wrong with my _phone_; Sansa's just not answering me!"

"Uh, did she _block_ or _unfriend_ you . . . ?" said Myrcella.

"N-no," said Joffrey. "Yes . . . I don't really know! But she's _not_ answering my calls or texts.

"So I want one of you to call the Stark kids and tell them to have her call me, immediately! There's something I want to say to her!"

Myrcella said, "I guess you want to say that you're sorry for what happened at school, today."

Joffrey's eyes went wide. "I – I have NOTHING to apologize for!"

"But you _hit_ Sansa," said Tommen.

Joffrey rounded to his younger brother, grabbed him by the front of his shirt, and said, "That is a LIE!"

"But we _saw_ it," protested Tommen. "D-didn't we, sis . . . ?" Myrcella nodded quickly.

"HOW did you 'see it,' Tommen?" hissed Joffrey. "Neither of you were _there_! You could only have _heard_ about it, and what you 'heard' is nothing but a Fairy Tale LIE!"

Myrcella went over to Tommen's laptop on the desk, and said, "We just saw it on YouTube, after dinner. Someone calling themselves "TwinsRoastingWitches" posted it earlier, today. It's already gotten over 3K views."

Joffrey watched in horror as Myrcella clicked on the video, which he noticed was titled, "Bully Abusing Girlfriend Gets Pwned!" Though it was less than two minutes long, it seemed like an eternity. And watching from the outside, Joffrey felt additional humiliation when he saw just how quickly it took 'Prince' Henry to overpower him, and get him face-down in the mud.

Joffrey couldn't help but wince when he heard himself saying, (whining, actually,) on the audio, "I'M TELLING MOTHER!" (Was _that_ really how he sounded to others?) The video ended soon after Henry replied, "Yeah? Well, that goes _double_ for me!"

But that was not the worst of it. Underneath the video was the _comments_ left by people who watched it; and there were already over two hundred of them:

"Punk got what he deserved!"

"I'll be watching this every time I need a laugh!"

"Krav Maga: 1. Dork with knife: Zip!"

And worst of all, " 0:12, Dude looks like a Lady!"

Another laptop almost felt the brunt of Joffrey's wrath, but before he could smash it, too, Myrcella quickly closed it, and held it tightly, saying, "Tommen needs this for school!" Joffrey slammed his fist against the empty desk instead, wincing in pain as he did.

Tommen said, "What's Krav Maga . . . ?"

"How should I know?" said Joffrey as he rubbed his hurt hand. "I don't speak _Dothraki_!"

Myrcella said, "I can see why Sansa might be mad at you, Joff. She might not be ready for an apology, yet."

"Ap-_apologize_ . . . ?" stammered Joffrey. "APOLOGIZE?! I have NOTHING to apologize for!

"If anyone here is owed an apology, it's ME! And Prince Henry is the one who owes it!"

Before either Myrcella or Tommen could comment, their older brother stormed out of Tommen's bedroom, forgetting all about the game controller, much less asking them to text the Stark kids to have Sansa call him. But Myrcella did have a text that needed sending.

Myrcella looked out the door in time to see Joff's door slam shut behind him. She then took out her phone and texted her uncle to tell him what just happened. Though a plan was in place to rescue Prince Henry and Lady Violet; Joffrey's mood could be a complication; especially if he didn't go to bed when he normally did.

If Joffrey should happen to hear something, or look out the window at the wrong moment, then the element of surprise would be lost, and along with it, the possibly of rescuing Prince Henry and Lady Violet . . . .

It took Cersei several moments to answer her phone. It wasn't that she had momentarily forgotten how to; that part was easy enough. It was that she was taken aback by who the call was from. According to the Caller ID, it was Regina Mills. But what could she possibly want at this ungodsly hour? To beg permission to say "good night" to her beloved son? Surely the 'Evil' Queen knew that this would not be permitted until a formal treaty was reached.

Though Cersei considered ignoring the call – what the natives called, "letting it go to voicemail," – the thought of hearing the insolent Queen Regina begging would be a wonderful way to end the day. Before the fourth ring, Cersei pressed "accept," and said "Hello," more on Dark Curse-implanted instinct than a desire to be polite.

"Good evening, Queen Cersei," said Regina more pleasantly than Cersei had expected. "I'm sorry to call so late, but I wanted to tell you that I've discussed your offer with Princess Emma, Prince Charming and Princess Snow White; and we wanted to tell you that I agree to marry your brother, the Noble Sir Jaime," in order to prevent a war between Storybrooke and Winterfell, and to ensure the well-being of your guests, Our son, Prince Henry, and the Lady Violet of Camelot."

Cersei Lannister was at a loss for words. She had fully expected Queen Regina to capitulate, of course. But she did _not_ expect to receive a reply so soon! Prince Henry and the Lady Violet were only taken captive mere _hours_ ago.

It was a well-known fact that Queen Regina and Princess Emma loved their son dearly, and it would be entirely "in-character" for Regina to want to do whatever was necessary to ensure his safety as soon as possible. But in the Old Country, matters such as these tended to take weeks, even months – or longer – to get to this phase.

Still, Cersei got what she expected; her Sister Queen really didn't have many options available to her. But Cersei felt as much anxiety as triumph when she received Regina's reply. It wasn't just the rapidity of Regina's response; it was the method as well. Though the Dark Curse had prepared Cersei for the technology of the Land Without Magic, her mindset was still that of a Queen from a High Fantasy Realm.

"I . . . appreciate that you have deigned to reply so promptly, Regina," said Cersei neutrally. "I just did not expect this to happen . . . ."

"The same day?" replied Regina evenly. "Such are the benefits of life in the Land Without Magic.

"Now, I realize that in the Old Country, communications in matters such as these are traditionally formal, and in writing. If it would make you more . . . comfortable, I can send over a written document, right now.

"You _do_ have a FAX Machine, don't you?"

"I – I believe that we do . . . ," said Cersei. "If not here at home, then Jaime undoubtedly has one at his office at Kingsguard Security, but . . . ."

Regina's reply was almost too cheerful for Cersei's liking. "Naturally, I can send a more formal copy over by FedEx, tomorrow morning; one that's been properly _notarized_, of course. For that matter, I can even send it over to you, now. Though our Notary Public likes to turn in early, and I'd rather not wake them up."

Cersei started feeling a bit light-headed, and went into her living room to sit in the Lazy Boy recliner that was at one time the Iron Throne to continue the conversation. "The normal protocol for matters such as this would require . . . ."

"Yeah, I know," said Regina with a 'what're you gonna do?' lilt to her voice. "But we really don't have any Royal Messengers handy. The ones we did have are now working in other jobs, since the Dark Curse remade them.

"And please don't ask me to send you formal documentation on _real_ parchment," added Regina reasonably. "This is kind of embarrassing, but we really don't have any actual parchment readily available. Now, while it's not too expensive – nobody in this world really uses it for formal business, anymore – it will take some time to order some on Amazon or eBay."

"N-no," said Cersei somewhat distractedly. "Regular paper is . . . fine . . . ."

"Excellent!" said Regina. "I'm so glad that we can get the ball rolling on this so quickly! And do tell my betrothed that I intend to make him _very_ happy once we are formally _wed_!"

"Of that I have no doubt," said Cersei dryly.

"Now, naturally, we will want to meet face-to-face, soon, to discuss the, ah, 'negotiable details,' such as the ceremony itself. But don't worry; I won't be a "Bridezilla' about these matters.

"For one thing, I realize that it _would_ be asking too much to request that you allow the Blue Fairy to co-officiate at the wedding, alongside your High Septon. Let me assure you that I will want to proceed with the ceremony without too much quibbling.

"Oh, I just _know_ that you will want to make it as grand a ceremony as possible; the better to overawe the Fairy Tale people of Storybrooke to let them know in no uncertain terms that We'll be under new, High Fantasy management.

"And as to that, maybe we can work something out a bit less rigid for our schools? The Fairies have been teaching there since Storybrooke first came into this world over 30 years ago, and it would not be fair to just give them a pink slip after all that time.

"Perhaps we can have some of your Septons and Septas teaching a few classes, at the beginning, and gradually phase them in, over time?

"I mean, I _do_ understand that you'll want us to convert to your Realm's Faith of the Seven, but we do have our _own_ faiths and traditions, and we can't just be expected to drop them cold-turkey . . . .

"And speaking of traditions, don't you think that a total ban on apples in the United Realms is a bit harsh? They are a traditional Fairy Tale staple, you know. And when you get right down to it, _any_ food or drink may be poisoned; not just apples. I mean, according to _your_ stories, _wine_ is normally used for something like that, and I don't think you'd want to ban wine, now, would you . . . ?"

"Yes, yes," said Cersei, not bothering to conceal her impatience. "I'm sure that we can arrive at mutually agreed upon terms in these . . . relatively minor matters – in a more formalized setting, of course."

"Of course," agreed Regina pleasantly. "Maybe we can get together tomorrow, or the next day for lunch at Granny's Diner - my treat, of course. We can work out the final arrangements, and I can sign anything that needs to be signed so we can get this accomplished ASAP.

"I'll also want to meet with Jaime, again, soon," added Regina, almost as an afterthought. "Your brother is _quite_ handsome, after all. I consider myself lucky. In matters like this, a girl could do far worse.

"But then again, I don't have to tell this to _you_, of all people, do I . . . ?"

After a few more seemingly interminable moments of conversation – Cersei couldn't quite call it "banter," as her Sister Queen _was_ agreeing to all of the main terms that House Lannister was demanding – Regina finally said "goodbye," and ended the call.

But although Cersei could not call this conversation anything other than a victory for House Lannister; she was nonetheless left feeling that something was not quite right.

The swiftness of Regina's reply was unsettling enough; even though Cersei could not have asked for a better outcome. But her lack of familiarity with the ways of the Land Without Magic made the situation difficult for her to assess. Cersei replayed the conversation in her mind several times over. Thanks to the Dark Curse, Cersei knew that she handled herself well enough on the telephone. But the lack of actual face-to-face contact left her feeling uneasy.

Though Regina sounded acquiescing and even a bit submissive, Cersei was troubled by the fact that these telephones did not give those speaking to each other the opportunity to take each other's measure, directly. Regina could be pulling faces at her, or giving her the "middle-finger" – and Cersei would be none the wiser.

Cersei couldn't even honestly say whether or not Regina's final comment about Jaime was what Land Without Magic natives called a "diss." Though Regina was too well known for having a tongue as sharp as Valyrian Steel; the overall tone of her voice suggested nothing but sincerity.

But Cersei also knew that for her plan to work, she _would_ have to share Jaime with Queen Regina, even if it was only for one night. To be binding, the Royal Marriage that united House Lannister with House Mills needs must be consummated. And for better or worse, the 'Evil' Queen _did_ have something of a reputation as a thief-of-hearts - both literally and figuratively - as the book "Once Upon A Time" made quite clear.

Cersei nearly startled when Jaime spoke from behind her. "Are you alright, Sweet Sister? I thought that I heard you speaking with someone."

Cersei told her brother about the phone call that she just got from Queen Regina, and that Storybrooke would soon be theirs. Jaime smiled triumphantly. "I expected nothing less. These Fairy Tales are a craven lot!"

"But did you expect to hear from Queen Regina this _soon_, Dear Brother?" retorted Cersei.

Jaime shrugged. "This is a strange, new world. Things happen quicker, here.

"So much the better for us, though. The sooner I am wed to Queen Regina, the sooner House Lannister will acquire the holdings of House Mills, and the sooner we shall be able to rule all of the United Realms."

Cersei raised an eyebrow. "And the thought of bedding the 'Evil' Queen does not give you any pause for concern, Dear Brother?"

"What of it?" said Jaime. "She'll do as she's told, if she ever wants to see her dear son, again."

"And you'll just do your part out of duty to House Lannister," said Cersei. "Only that, and nothing more, Dear Brother? Regina is not unattractive, you know."

Jaime took his sister in his arms comfortingly, and said, "Fear not, Sweet Sister. As far as I am concerned, Queen Regina is a fat, ugly bitch, who is stricken with greyscale. This thing that I am required to do is out of love for you, and you alone."

"Yes," said Cersei dryly, though she did not push him away. "The things you do for love . . . ."

"If you want to see who I _do_ for love, Sweet Sister, I would ask you to join me in my room, the better that I might show you . . . ."

Cersei's thin smile began to widen as her brother led the way to his room upstairs.

Several hours later, having worn each other out, Jaime and Cersei slept soundly, dreaming dreams of a new empire where House Lannister would rule the United Realms of Storytelling. But in the entirety of the Lannister Mansion, they were the only ones who slept.

In their separate rooms in the basement, Henry Mills and Violet Morgan lay still under their covers, unsure if they were being watched, or not, but resting patiently as they watched the clocks on their nightstands creep closer and closer to 2:30 am.

This same scene was mirrored upstairs in the bedrooms of Myrcella and Tommen Baratheon. Though they had no fear of being watched, they were nonetheless anxious as they awaited the rescue that they knew was coming in a few more hours.

In the monitor room, Gregor watched the monitors showing different views of the grounds while Sandor cleaned his .44 Magnum for the fourth time that evening; something that his older brother noticed with disdain. But what Gregor failed to notice was that he was watching the same view on the monitors over and over again, and had been for the past half hour.

Just when it looked as though Sandor was about to begin cleaning his piece yet again, Gregor's patience began to wear thin. Turning to his brother, Gregor said, "You take over on the monitors for a while. I'm going to make my early morning patrol of the grounds." Without another word, Sandor holstered his pistol, and took the seat vacated by his older brother.

As Sandor began watching the various monitors, he noticed that his brother was not on any of the screens. But before he could think more on it, he heard heavy footsteps coming from the hallway. Gregor probably forgot something, thought Sandor, not bothering to turn around as he kept his full attention on the monitors. The last time something like this happened, Gregor chewed him out royally for taking his eyes off the screens. But that wouldn't happen, again.

Then Sandor heard the door open and a shrill voice giving him a command for him to come immediately. But it was not Gregor . . . .

"Dog!" screamed Joffrey, red-faced with rage, "I need you to unlock 'Prince' Henry's room. He and I need to have a little talk that can't wait until morning!"

Sandor glanced at the clock on the control panel, and saw that it was about a quarter to two. Not even daring to sigh in resignation, Sandor Clegane took the keycard hanging from a lanyard by the door, and followed his prince to the basement.

Part of Sandor wanted them to run into Queen Cersei or Ser Jaime on the way, though he also knew that this was unlikely. Failing that, there was at least the chance that they might run into 'Ser' Gregor, who might be able to remind the young, hotheaded prince that his mother and 'uncle' would not want any harm to befall their guests from Storybrooke.

That said, there was also a part of Sandor that entertained as well as savored the thought that Prince Henry of Storybrooke would teach Prince Joffrey a much-needed lesson in manners – for the second time in a 24 hour period. Though he dared not smile at the odd thought, Sandor felt a slight twinge of something unfamiliar that might have been a "good" feeling.

He could not put a name to this feeling, but it was such a strong, overwhelming feeling, that it pushed aside a more familiar, low-level feeling that something had been amiss when he did not see his brother Gregor patrolling the Lannister Mansion grounds on the monitors.

Though Sandor Clegane could not name the unfamiliar feeling, any Fairy Tale from Storybrooke could have told him that it was as common to them as a general feeling of paranoia was to the High Fantasy people of Westeros.

It was a feeling called "hope."


	7. Internal Matters

**Chapter 7: Internal Matters**

When Regina, Emma, Mr. Gold and Hank Morgan arrived at the Winterfell Police Station, they were met by Commissioner Rivers, DA Targaryen, and Tyrion Lannister.

Commissioner Brynden Rivers was an elderly but powerful looking man with white hair and an eyepatch. His skin was very pale, save for a 'port wine' birthmark on his neck that peeked out from beneath his collar. His expression was all business as he shook hands with Mayor Regina Mills and the others the moment the Storybrooke Contingent arrived at the station.

"I know that you're all concerned for the safety of your children," said Commissioner Rivers. "You may rest assured that we will do everything in our power to rescue them unharmed, and that I appreciate your standing aside to let our SWAT Team deal with this delicate situation.

"Of course, should we _request_ any backup; you'll be here if the need arises. But for now, your full cooperation with DA Targaryen's case against the Lannisters will be the main way you will be able to assist us."

Emma said, "What do you know of the current situation, Commissioner Rivers?"

"We believe that your son and his friend _aren't_ in any immediate danger, Sheriff Swan. As long as Cersei Lannister thinks that you're fully cooperating with her, she'll keep her guard lowered – at least inasmuch as she ever really lowers it, anyway . . . .

"According to Tyrion, Henry and Violet are currently being held in the basement of the Lannister Mansion, and that has an entrance from the back yard, as well as the one from inside the house itself.

"There are security cameras to worry about, and the Clegane brothers normally patrol the grounds at least twice each evening from sundown to sunup. They already made their first rounds a few hours back. With any luck, they'll keep to their normal schedule that Tyrion told us about, and won't make their next rounds until 3:00 AM. In the meantime, they'll just watch the camera monitors; which we've already hacked and are now showing the "looped" footage that will conceal our approach.

"So, unless someone looks out the window, they won't see us coming until it's too late."

Tyrion added, "And that _might_ be a very real possibility. I got a text from my niece not long ago that said Joffrey was pretty agitated late last night.

"He's still fuming over the way Prince Henry humiliated him at school, yesterday afternoon. At the very least, he might still be up, or sleeping lightly. At worst, he might be up and about, and see or hear something that costs Capt. Mormont and his men the element of surprise.

"Which means," said Commissioner Rivers. "We'll need to proceed with a _different_ kind of caution than is normally used in situations like this."

"Sounds good," said Emma thoughtfully. "But that still leaves the guards stationed at the entrance to the subdivision. Call me cynical, but I suspect that they'll be watching out for cops as well as for any potential burglars and car thieves."

Commissioner Rivers smiled sardonically. "They're _mainly_ there to watch out for _cops_, Sheriff Swan! No _real_ criminal would ever dare break into a home or car in King's Landing; especially one owned by the Lannisters!

"But don't worry. We've got a . . . shall we say, _small_ plan in mind to deal with the Kingsguard Security Rent-a-Cops at the gate, when the time comes . . . ."

Then it was Tyrion's turn to smile.

Though the Lannisters provided proper nightclothes for their 'guests,' Henry decided to go to bed in his school uniform shirt and trousers, though he did remove his necktie and jacket as well as – somewhat reluctantly – his shoes. Henry knew that Violet planned to do the same, and would 'sleep' in her skirt and blouse, with her shoes off, as they awaited rescue.

They both felt that it was reasonable to assume that they were being watched by hidden cameras in their rooms, and they knew that wearing their shoes to bed might arouse suspicions that something might be up. But that going to bed partially dressed could be plausibly seen as a sign of post-kidnapping jitters, instead of looking as though they were anticipating an immediate rescue.

Laying still in his bed in the darkness, Henry heard muffled voices and sounds coming from outside the door to his room, where the common living area was. This went on for about fifteen minutes, before being followed by the sound of the electronic door to his room unlocking. Quickly, Henry glanced at the clock on the nightstand, and saw that it was a little after two in the morning. But Tommen's note had said that the rescue would come at 2:30 AM, so Henry decided to lie still, feigning sleep until he knew what was happening for certain.

Then the door opened, the light in the room came on, and a voice that was at once commanding and whiny ordered Henry to "Get up!" When Henry complied, he found himself face-to-face with Prince Joffrey, and behind the High Fantasy Prince stood his personal bodyguard, Sandor Clegane, who seemed out of breath, but no less dangerous.

With an angry snarl, Joffrey said, "We're going to have a little _talk_, 'Prince' Henry. Won't you kindly join me in the common area . . . ?"

The King's Landing Subdivision was not patrolled by the Winterfell Police Department. Instead, it was protected by the staff of Kingsguard Security, LLC, which had an 'understanding' with the police that they didn't need to "waste resources" patrolling the upscale neighborhood, and would only need to come if they were ever actually called.

But as far back as anyone could remember, no resident of King's Landing _ever_ needed to call the police to report _any_ crimes. In fact, the residents of Winterfell would be hard-pressed to recall any crime ever taking place in King's Landing, despite the absence of regular police patrols, and being the address of the wealthiest people in Winterfell; the Lannisters being the first and foremost among them.

But this situation puzzled no one. In addition to the well-known phrase, "A Lannister always pays their debts," there was another one just as well-known; especially among the criminal element of Winterfell, that went, "A Lannister _never_ calls the cops."

That is, unless it was to have the police come and clean up the potentially messy aftermath of anyone foolish enough to attempt any actual crime, in the upscale subdivision. And no one in all of Winterfell was believed to be that foolish. But even lawbreakers with a death wish would have to face many daunting obstacles before they could even approach, (much less enter,) the well-guarded neighborhood before they could even attempt the pettiest act of miscreancy.

The entire perimeter of King's Landing was surrounded by a high, spike-topped wall that was well-lit, and monitored by cameras at regular intervals. The only entrance to the subdivision was set some distance back from the main road, so any vehicle approaching the gatehouse could be readily seen. Residents would call the gatehouse ahead of time, to be let out or admitted back in, and all expected deliveries or repairmen had to be reported to security in advance. Even the Post Office could not enter the subdivision proper, and made their deliveries at boxes at the main gate.

Because of this, thru-traffic was sparse during the day and virtually nonexistent at night. And when the two guards manning the gatehouse saw the car pulling off the main road and coming up the path to the entrance, they immediately took notice.

The vehicle drove up silently, and then stopped at the well-lit halfway point, where a prominent sign warned anyone coming to wait there for permission to approach. Both guards felt slight relief when they immediately identified the vehicle as the black Tesla Model 3 that belonged to Tyrion Lannister. But while the little man _was_ technically one of their "bosses," they still had protocol to apply. And for some unknown reason, their actual boss, Jaime Lannister, had ordered a Level Red alert to all gatehouse shifts that would remain in effect until further notice.

Though Tyrion technically still lived at the Lannister's King's Landing address, lately he had been spending more days (and nights,) in town at the apartment of his current girlfriend, a waitress named Shae. Since meeting her, Tyrion would come and go at various times to attend to family business, or to return or retrieve items from his room.

But whatever the reason for this very early morning visit, Jaime Lannister had given his guards very specific instructions that they alert the Clegane Brothers in the Monitor Room if anyone attempted to gain entry to the King's Landing subdivision. The senior guard immediately went by-the-book, and reached for the phone to call the house. But just as he did, the gatehouse phone rang, and the Caller ID showed that Tyrion Lannister was calling _them_.

The guard decided to answer Tyrion's call, and ask him to please stand by, while he then phoned the house to alert the Cleganes. But before he could speak, Tyrion said, "Good morning, gentlemen. I'm dreadfully sorry to catch you by surprise at such an ungodsly hour, but I forgot to get something very important the last time I was here that I will be in need of a few hours from now.

"Would you mind terribly if you could just let me in? I know what I'm looking for, and where it is. I should be done and gone in less than ten minutes."

The guard replied, "Respectfully, Mr. Lannister, your brother gave us specific instructions to alert the crew of the monitor room if anyone tried to enter the gates; no exceptions."

Tyrion chuckled jovially. "Surely that didn't mean any of the _family_, least of all _me_?

"Besides, the situation I find myself in is a bit . . . how shall I put this . . . ? Embarrassing, to me . . . ."

Tyrion told the guards that he had left some very important documents in his room that he would need by 8:00 AM, and that moreover, he would need time to review them, so waiting until a later time was not really an option.

"The truth is, my brother and sister are counting on me, and if they find out that I wasn't already properly prepared for this task, I'll never hear the end of it. Besides, this wouldn't be the first time you let me in without calling the main house . . . ."

"Well," the guard replied, "we'll be clearing your entry with the Clegane Brothers, not with the boss."

"And they will dutifully inform Jaime that I was here at 2:00 AM," said Tyrion reasonably. "You might as well just wake my brother and be done with it, already."

Now the guard was almost pleading. "Sir, if it were any other night, we . . . could do that. But the boss specifically put us on Level Red Protocol until further notice."

"And I fully understand," said Tyrion evenly. "But I'll let you in on a little secret. The Level Red Protocol was actually _my_ idea.

"Are you aware that we currently have some guests staying with us?"

"Yes."

"Well," said Tyrion, "it just so happens that these are visitors from the neighboring community of Storybrooke. One of them is the son of Storybrooke's Mayor, Regina Mills, and he is here to help negotiate an agreement that will benefit both of our communities.

"It also so happens that Mayor Mills of Storybrooke is _very_ protective of her son, so we assured her that extra precaution would be taken to ensure his safety. And it seems that I may be a victim of my own planning.

"You see, it really isn't my brother finding out about my oversight that concerns me; it's my worry that the town of Storybrooke might lose confidence in us if we give them reason to believe that we are being cavalier about our paperwork. They need to know that Winterfell has all of its ducks in a row, as it were, and even something trivial like this could give them pause.

"I know that you can certainly appreciate my concerns. So why not just let me in and out before anyone's the wiser . . . ?

"Besides, I'll make it worth your while, just like I have, before."

The guards hesitated for a second. If the Level Red Protocol was Tyrion Lannister's idea; this might just be a 'test' to see if they were adhering to procedure. But as Tyrion also pointed out, this was not the first time that he came unannounced in the wee hours of the morning to get something from his room. And on those past occasions, he had always slipped them something a little extra for their trouble. For that matter, this could also be a test.

Or, it could be just what Tyrion said it was.

In the end, the guards just shrugged, and instructed Tyrion to approach the gate. Immediately, the Tesla silently glided to the gate, which was open by the time he got there. But instead of driving on in, the black car came to a stop as soon as it came in. Again, the phone rang.

And again, it was Tyrion. "Thanks, fellas. I'm in kind of a rush, but if you'll both come out now, I got a little something for you."

Holstering their weapons, the guards came out; their base paranoia replaced by even baser greed. If the 'little something' Tyrion promised was anything like the last 'little something' he gave them, it would be more than worthwhile.

Both guards were almost to the car when all four doors burst open, and as many men in black Kevlar armor armed with automatic weapons quickly subdued the stunned Lannister guards, who surrendered the second they saw the red dots dancing on their shirts.

Seconds later, two armored vans carrying the Winterfell SWAT Team drove through the open gates of the King's landing Subdivision. It was the first time in the history of Winterfell that any police officer had ever come into King's Landing. And they headed straight for the Lannister Mansion . . . .

Back at the Winterfell Police Station, Tyrion Lannister ended the call he placed to the guards in the gatehouse, and said, "Well, _that_ part was simple enough. For a land without magic, this world certainly has a few tricks up its sleeves that we couldn't even have dreamt of."

Tyrion glanced at the bank of monitors, where two Winterfell Police Officers, DA Targaryen, and Commissioner Rivers, monitored the progress of Capt. Mormont's SWAT Team.

With them in the control room were Storybrooke Mayor Regina Mills, Sheriff Emma Swan, Mr. Gold, and Sir Hank Morgan, who waited with varying degrees of patience as they watched the raid's progress. Some screens even showed the POV of individual officers, including Capt. Mormont. Others showed views of the "hacked" cameras feeding to the monitor room at the Lannister Mansion.

Tyrion nodded to the Storybrookers, and then to the bank of monitors, and said, "Most impressive, don't you think?"

Commissioner Rivers, who kept his attention squarely on the various monitors, added, "And you haven't seen the best part, yet. In a few moments, we'll deploy some Raven micro drones to get a good look inside before we attempt entry."

Tyrion wondered somewhat idly what the legendary Brynden Rivers would have made of such advanced surveillance tech back in the Old Country, had it been available to him. Likely, the answer to the most famous riddle in all of the Seven Kingdoms about the number of Lord Bloodraven's eyes would be, "A _million_ eyes, and one. And ears, too . . . ."

Tyrion was roused from his ruminations when Emma looked up from her own phone, and said, "That was Capt. Mormont. He says that they expect to have the Lannister Mansion secured in less than twenty minutes, and Henry and Violet rescued.

"But he still wants us to wait here until we get the word that it's safe to come over."

Regina Mills took a deep breath, and said, "I guess Tom Petty _was_ right. The waiting really _is_ the hardest part." She then turned to Commissioner Rivers, and somewhat impatiently added, "Haven't your people been able to locate Henry and Violet, yet?"

Commissioner Rivers shook his head. "I'm afraid not, Mayor Mills. We can't seem to locate any transmissions from cameras that show the basement interior."

Tyrion said, "We _do_ have cameras in the guest rooms. But they're normally not turned on unless something is suspected of our 'guests.' We'll probably have to wait for the drone pictures."

"Well, find them!" snapped Regina. "With all those cops and thugs, there could be shooting!" She then turned to Emma and Gold, and said, "Be ready! We may need to teleport over directly to protect our kids in a seconds' notice!"

"No, you _won't_," said Commissioner Rivers softly, but with firm authority, who now turned in his swivel chair to face the Storybrookers, directly. "You _will_ allow my officers to rescue the hostages without _any_ outside interference, unless we specifically request it.

"Right now, this is simply a case of kidnapping and extortion. But if you become _directly_ and _personally_ involved with the rescue operation, this situation could easily deteriorate into an ethnic conflict between our different genres; especially if you use any magic."

Regina was about to respond, but Mr. Gold put a hand on her shoulder, and said, "He's right, Regina. Like Tyrion said earlier, we _can't_ do this by Old Country rules. If we just pop-over, and start throwing spells around, Cersei could easily spin this into an "us-versus-them" situation."

Commissioner Rivers nodded sagely, "Rumpelstiltskin has the truth of it, Queen Regina.

"No doubt, your people have already done some research on mine. No doubt we frighten you. But what you need to realize is that _you_ also frighten many of _us_!

"There are many High Fantasy Noble Houses in Winterfell – the Lannisters first and foremost among us – who _don't_ like the political realities of this world and how attractive it is to some lesser nobles, to say nothing of the vast majority of our 'smallfolk.'

"It would seem that the Red Priestess – who your people knew as the Black Fairy – made the same fundamental error when casting your The Dark Curse that all those who employ it invariably make.

"Yes, it _did_ implant the knowledge to allow medieval people to survive in a technologically advanced, industrial world. But in addition to giving us the skills to do everything from driving a car to programming a computer, the Dark Curse _also_ gave those it touches the attitudes and expectations that those living in such a society consider what the Land Without Magic natives call, "fundamental rights" and "self-evident truths."

Mr. Gold smiled thinly. "In other words, Dearie, when the 'peasants' complain; you can't simply throw them in the dungeon and burn down their hovels . . . ."

Commissioner Rivers shrugged with resignation. "In the Land Without Magic, 'Royal Privilege' is largely meaningless . . . .

"I personally have no objections to the ways of this New Realm. They have much to offer. But it _won't_ be an easy adjustment for every one of us to make, by any means." Commissioner Rivers then got up from his chair, and moved closer to the Storybrookers so the two Winterfell officers would not hear him, and added, "And this matter is further complicated by the fact that even as we speak, more and more of my people are starting to awaken to their High Fantasy origins, and this will add to the chaos in ways that we might not truly be able to comprehend."

Regina said, "Tyrion told us that the process is "disorienting." Tyrion nodded in confirmation.

"You have no idea," said Commissioner Rivers softly. "When this starts to happen to the smallfolk, all at once, they will be dazed, confused, scared, and in search of comfort as well as answers that the likes of Cersei and Jaime Lannister will be only _too_ eager to provide.

"My people's position is a _precarious_ one, Mayor Mills. Though they have been 'conditioned' by the Dark Curse to accept and even like the modern ways of this Realm; they will be vulnerable to the Lannisters' appeals to the security blanket of the Old Ways of the Seven Kingdoms; especially if they offer them a 'common enemy.'

"As much as I hate to say it, you Fairy Tale people could easily become the 'New' Others . . . ."

Emma said, "So by letting your people handle Henry's and Violet's kidnapping as an internal matter, we would deprive the Lannisters of that tactic." It was a statement, not a question.

Commissioner Rivers nodded. "What happens within the next twenty minutes or so could well decide the fate of _both_ of our peoples, if not the entire Expatriate Realms of Storytelling. In addition to rescuing Prince Henry and Lady Violet, we are also attempting to rescue the choice my people needs must make about _how_ we shall live from this point, onward.

"Will we embrace the "new," desirable ways of this world's _Liberty and Justice for All_, coupled with the Fairy Tale ideal of _Happily Ever After_?" Or will we retreat to the harsh, but undeniably familiar old, High Fantasy ways of _Valar Morghulis_ . . . ?"

After letting that sink in for a few moments, Commissioner Rivers continued, "For now, I think that we should all wait in the van outside. That way, we'll be able to leave for King's Landing the very moment that Capt. Mormont gives us the "all clear."

Felling grateful that they would at least be doing something other than waiting in the Winterfell Police Department Command Center; the Storybrookers followed Commissioner Rivers to the waiting van, leaving DA Targaryen and Tyrion Lannister to wait at the station.

When Henry Mills was led to the common living area in the basement of the Lannister Mansion, he immediately realized the source of the noise coming from outside his door, and why Sandor Clegane had seemed so out of breath. Every couch, chair, table and other furniture in the basement living room had been moved to the walls, leaving a large, open space in the center of the room.

Joffrey said, "I hope that you approve of all the work my dog has done in preparation for our little 'discussion,' Prince Henry.

"Now, dog, fetch the Lady Violet of Camelot. I think that she'll want to watch this, too . . . ."

Emotionlessly, Sandor nodded, and opened the door to Violet's room. Without saying a word, Violet came out, fully dressed and wide awake. Though nervous, Violet said nothing, but made reassuring eye contact with Henry as Sandor motioned for Violet to stand along the wall near the doorway. He then stood beside her, blocking the doorway that led to the stairway.

It was then that Henry noticed the clock on the wall. If the note Tommen passed him was right, the rescue would come in less than twenty minutes. If Henry could keep his High Fantasy counterpart preoccupied until then . . . .

"You said that you wanted to talk with me, Prince Joffrey," said Henry. "What about?"

Joffrey said nothing, but instead went over to a long box that was on one of the couches, and removed two swords, tossing one to Henry, who promptly caught it so smoothly that it made Joffrey blink in surprise. Fortunately, Joffrey did not notice Henry's obvious relief that the swords were practice swords made of wood, instead of steel.

"I trust that you know the ways of the _sword_, Prince Henry," said Joffrey.

"My grandfather, Prince Charming, taught me," said Henry evenly. "Now, what do you want to talk about?"

"What do you _think_, Prince Henry?" said Joffrey coldly. He then reached back into the wooden box on the couch, and took out the knife that he had with him when they first met. "We are going to 'discuss' the way you humiliated me at school, yesterday afternoon . . . ."


	8. Moment of Reckoning

**Chapter 8: Moment of Reckoning**

Joffrey held the wooden practice sword in his right hand, taking the carbon-fiber knife that was once Lion's Tooth in his left.

Henry, more weary than worried, shook his head and sighed. "Really . . . ?"

Violet was more direct. "That is most unfair and _uncourteous _of you, Prince Joffrey! Prince Henry has no knife!"

"Oh, is it _really_ thatunfair, Lady Violet?" said Joffrey, not taking his eyes off of Henry. "Tell me, can your prince keep his Krav Maga native fighting techniques out of the game? Am I not entitled to some small, meager way to even things up . . . ?"

"You can't do this!" insisted Violet.

Now, a suddenly enraged Joffrey rounded to her. "What did you say? Did _you_ say, _I can't_ . . . ?"

Evenly, Violet replied, "Prince Henry of Storybrooke, the Second of His Name, _gave Our Parole_ to your Mother, Queen Cersei, who then _promised_ that neither of us would be harmed!"

"YOU _DARE_ USE MY OWN LADY MOTHER"S WORDS _AGAINST_ ME?!"

Now it was Sandor who spoke, "The girl speaks truly. If Prince Henry were to come to any harm, it would reflect badly on Houses Baratheon and Lannister, as well as all of Westeros."

Joffrey snorted. "Never fear, dog. I won't actually _hurt_ Prince Henry . . . much . . . .

"And as far as my Lady Mother will know, it was Prince Henry who challenged _me_, and it will be the Lady Violet who shall bear witness to his insolence and my measured restraint in response!"

"I'll not lie for _you_, Prince Joffrey," said Violet firmly.

Joffrey ignored her, and said to Henry, "Truth be told, I _might_ have been able to forgive your insolence, had the matter between us remained private, and you begged for my forgiveness.

"But you couldn't stop there, could you? No, you had to _order_ your smallfolk to further humiliate me by putting their recording on YouTube!

"And as to that, once I find out the true identity of this 'TwinsRoastingWitches,' I shall see to it that they are put to _death_ the moment you Fairy Tales bend the knee and Storybrooke becomes Our vassal state!"

Henry said firmly, "Nobody "ordered" _anyone_ to do _anything_; not me, or my moms."

Joffrey pressed, "Nevertheless, you do _approve_ of their action . . . ?"

"You still don't get it, do you?" said Henry. "In this world, the Land Without Magic – at least in this part of it - _nobody_ is above the law. You can't just go on tormenting people because you feel like it! And everyone here is free to speak their minds – even to their 'rulers.'"

Joffrey laughed. "No, Prince Henry, it is you who doesn't 'get it.' In the Realms of Storytelling, I AM the law! And when I sit upon the Iron Throne; _that_ law shall apply to the Land Without Magic, as well! And when that happens, _everyone_ here shall be MINE to torment!

"But, enough talk!" Joffrey brought up his wooden sword, holding his carbon fiber knife at the ready. "Now, 'Prince' Henry, it is time to take the punishment that you have so richly earned!"

Henry Mills stole a quick glance at the clock on the wall, and saw that he had just less than fifteen minutes before the raid would start, and quickly chose a strategy to prolong the fight, until then. He began by holding his position, standing at the ready, forcing Joffrey Baratheon to come to him. Sure enough, the High Fantasy prince charged his Fairy Tale counterpart in a burst of rage, and thus made his first mistake.

The finished basement in the Lannister Mansion was luxuriously appointed, but it was still a basement with a low ceiling made even lower by suspended tiles to allow for flush lighting that left little headroom. About halfway to his opponent, Joffrey's wooden sword struck the ceiling, catching him off guard. And while Joffrey went high, Henry went low, using the flat of his sword to give Joffrey a solid 'thwack' on his behind.

"OTHERS TAKE YOU; YOU _WILL_ PAY FOR THAT, YOU CRAVEN FAIRY TALE!" Joffrey threw aside the wooden sword, and shifted Lion's Tooth to his right hand. Though a carbon fiber hunting knife was just as deadly as a sword made of Valyrian Steel, it was substantially shorter than Henry's wooden practice sword, and Henry took full advantage of this extra reach, striking Joffrey hard on his left ear with another hard 'thwack!'

Joffrey yelped in pain and was almost fighting back tears when he realized his mistake, and yelled to Sandor, "DOG, MY SWORD!" But before Sandor could react, Violet kicked the discarded wooden sword far under one of the couches against the wall.

Joffrey was about to yell to Sandor to strike the girl in response, but felt the wind knocked out of him when Henry moved in with a Krav Maga move that deprived Joffrey of his knife and once again, within a 24 hour period, had the High Fantasy prince pinned on the ground, face down, albeit this time on carpet instead of in the mud.

"You _cheated_," spat Joffrey. "My knife was not as long as your sword!"

Henry said nothing, but Violet quipped, "It _would_ have been long enough if you took another step closer to Henry . . . ."

_Violet's definitely been hanging around my moms too long . . . ,_ thought Henry sardonically. He then shifted his position, hauling Joffrey up and getting him into a Full Nelson that took the High Fantasy prince and his bodyguard by complete surprise. Then, Henry said to Sandor, "If you come any closer to us, or try to hurt Violet, I'll break Joffrey's back!"

"You Fairy Tale _fool_!" scoffed Joffrey. "You _won't_ do me serious harm; it's not in your nature as a Fairy Tale Prince!

"But regardless, you _are_ holding a Stag by the antlers, 'Prince' Henry! You can't hold onto me, _forever_, and may The Seven help you when you _do_ let me go!

"Or, are _made_ to let me go . . . .

"DOG, FREE ME!"

Sandor Clegane started to approach Henry and Joffrey. Stealing another glance at the clock, Henry saw that there were still more than five long minutes before 2:30 AM, and the rescue. Henry wondered if he should mention that a rescue was imminent. Would that buy him and Violet more time, or would Sandor immediately sound the alarm . . . ?

But as Sandor came closer, and time all but stood still, Henry was relieved of any choice in the matter when the pounding noise of running feet came down the stairs.

But instead of police officers, Myrcella and Tommen Baratheon burst into the room, still dressed for bed. Myrcella said, "Stop this, Joffrey! The _police_ will be here, soon!"

"The _police . . . _?" spat Joffrey, taken aback by the sudden intrusion. "What are you talking about? Did you two brats _call_ the police to come _here_?"

"It is unlikely," Sandor said reasonably. "If they did call the police, we would have gotten advanced notice of their approach from the gatehouse."

"There are no police coming!" snarled Joffrey. "Now, Dog; free me!"

But as if on cue, the sounds of muffled voices and footfalls came from the floor overhead . . . .

"See anything yet, Tarly?" Capt. Mormont had ordered the Raven drones to be deployed a few minutes earlier, hoping to find the precise location of the Storybrooke hostages.

Officer Tarly, not taking his eyes off the monitors – partly to not miss anything important, but mostly to avoid having to look directly into the baleful face of his fierce commanding officer - responded with a quick shake of his head. "No, Sir. I'm _still_ trying to find a way into the basement . . . .

"Wait a minute! Captain Mormont, one of the Lannisters' men is _patrolling_ the grounds. It looks like Gregor Clegane."

The Captain growled low like an angry, old bear. "Tyrion said that their normal protocol was for a patrol around the grounds at 3:00 AM."

"Do you think they were tipped-off, Sir?"

"No, I just think that they're being extra-cautious because of their 'guests.' Can you see if any other guards are patrolling outside, Tarly?"

"No, Sir, just Gregor."

"Then we've got to move fast. It won't take long for anyone in the monitor room to notice that Gregor _isn't_ on any of the screens, and realize that _something's_ wrong!"

Capt. Mormont ordered three of his men to take down Gregor while the rest of them hit the front door, simultaneously. He then turned to Officer Snow, and added, "Once we take the house, you and Ghost will need to locate the hostages, who will likely be in the basement.

"And remember, everyone; there are _children _in that house! Not just the hostages, but the three Baratheon Siblings, as well, and I don't want _any_ of them harmed!"

Then Capt. Mormont gave the signal, and the raid began.

Back at the Winterfell Police Department, Commissioner Rivers said, "The raid's started. It won't be long, now. May the gods be good!" Commissioner Rivers then ordered the driver to take them to King's Landing, immediately.

Before Sandor could take another step, Joffrey said, "Dog! What's that noise, up there?!" And before Sandor could even venture a guess in reply, Joffrey added, "Well, don't just stand there! Check it out!"

This time, Sandor moved quicker to Joffrey's command, and headed upstairs. When he was gone, Joffrey said, "Now, release me at once, Prince Henry!"

"I'll let you go as soon as the cops tell me to," said Henry evenly, "and not a moment sooner!"

"There are no cops!" said Joffrey. "The footfalls you hear above us are no doubt those of Kingsguard Security come to defend us against a siege from your craven, Fairy Tale people!"

"Are you really so stupid, so arrogant to think that?" said Henry.

"You dare call me stupid?!" said Joffrey.

"I didn't 'call you' anything," said Henry, not letting up on his grip. "I asked you a question: _Are you really_ so stupid, so arrogant, to think that 'my people' are "laying siege" to your "castle?" This _isn't_ the "Old Country!" The police are here, and it's _over_!

"You and your people can't act like we're back in the Realms of Storytelling! Here, when somebody kidnaps two kids at gunpoint, _the law_ gets involved!"

"YOU FOOL! HERE IN WINTERFELL, I _AM_ "THE LAW!" said Joffrey. "AND SOON, I SHALL BE _THE LAW_, NOT JUST IN STORYBROOKE, BUT IN _ALL_ THE FICTIONAL UNITED REALMS, _AND_ THE LAND WITHOUT MAGIC, AS WELL! _ALL_ WILL BOW TO _ME_!"

"No, Joffrey," said Henry evenly. "We _won't_."

"YOU _WILL_ ADDRESS ME AS "_PRINCE_ JOFFREY!"

Henry almost scoffed. "Oh, just drop it, already! You are no more a 'prince' here in this world than I am, _Joffrey_. Like I said, here in Storybrooke, and the Land Without Magic, _nobody_ is above the law – even if they like to think that they are! That's the bad news.

"The _good news_ is that in this world, you don't _have_ to be a prince, much less a "Dark Lord;" regardless of what you may have been in "The Old Country."

"I AM A PRINCE, AND HEIR TO THE IRON THRONE!" Joffrey struggled against Henry's Full Nelson hold, but to no avail – Henry held him firmly.

Ironically, had the positions been reversed, Henry actually _knew_ how to use the Krav Maga that Emma showed him to break free of this hold; quite easily, too. But Henry also knew that Joffrey _could_ slip free if he was not careful, and concentrated on holding him until help arrived, which hopefully, wouldn't be much longer.

Joffrey, winded and no longer screaming, said, "If you think that I'm going down without a fight before you do for me, and put my head on a pike atop Storybrooke Town Hall . . . ."

Henry said, "Listen, Joffrey, I can't imagine how hard this must be for you, but you _really_ need to calm down and face reality: You are no longer in the Realms of Storytelling.

"News flash: We don't execute anyone, here; least of all children!

"You will have to answer for your part in having Violet and me kidnapped, but in addition to any punishment that you might receive, you will also receive counselling and assistance to help you work on building a better life that doesn't 'require' you to be evil!

"My mom, The 'Evil' Queen, _and_ my grandfather, Rumpelstiltskin the 'Dark One,' _both_ broke free of their "destinies." And with our help, you and your family can do this, too!"

Myrcella said, "Please, brother; listen to Prince Henry!" Tommen nodded vigorously, and his sister continued. "Tommen and I remember the "Old Country, completely, and if we had all remained in Westeros, we would all be fated to die miserably!"

"By the Seven, you and Tommen are "_awake_," said Joffrey angrily. "How long have you known our _True Origins_, sister . . . ?"

Calmly, Myrcella continued, "But here, in _Storybrooke_, we really do have a chance for a long and happy life, but only if we accept these new ways!"

"YOU WOULD _BETRAY_ YOUR HOUSE?! OUR _LADY MOTHER_ . . . ?"

Myrcella was almost crying when she said, "Not 'betray,' brother. I want to _help_ our _family_ and our _people_! I want _all_ of us to have a better way!"

Joffrey did not reply to his sister. Instead, he struggled hard against Henry's hold, wincing in pain.

Myrcella gasped, "P-please, you're _hurting_ our brother, Prince Henry!"

"I'm sorry, Princess," said Henry. "But I can't let your brother loose until the cops get here!" Then Henry jerked his head towards the ceiling, and the sounds of footfalls, shouting, and small arms fire overhead, and added, "But don't worry Princess. From the sound of what's going on upstairs, I won't have to hold onto your brother too much longer . . . ."

Cersei and Jaime were roused from their slumber by the commotion coming from the first floor, immediately realizing that the unthinkable had happened. Without a word, Cersei began dressing as Jaime locked the bedroom door before removing a painting from the wall to reveal a hidden, closed-circuit monitor.

"Sweet Sister, the _police_ are in our house!" spat Jaime, who hurriedly began dressing himself. "The way out downstairs is completely sealed off!"

"How is that possible, brother?" exclaimed Cersei. "How could _they_ enter our home without our knowledge, much less breaking the doors without our hearing them?"

Although they looked like normal doors, all the doors in the Lannister Mansion were heavily reinforced as insurance against just such an intrusion. Even the Winterfell SWAT Team would have a hard time breeching them. Oh, they wouldn't hold forever; but they _would_ hold just long enough for the Lannisters to escape capture.

Now Jaime was checking his Smartphone, his face grim. "Others take them! They must have overridden the codes! Either that or they had a key . . . ."

"And _where_ would they have gotten either the codes or a key, brother?

"And more to the point, _who_ did they get them, from . . . ?" Cersei was going to ask Jaime if he thought that _Tyrion_ might be responsible. But before she could fully form the thought into words, a more pressing concern demanded all of her attention: "Where are _our_ children, brother?"

"I found them," said Jaime, checking the screen. "They're in the basement with Prince Henry and Lady Violet."

"What of the doors to the basement?"

"Both still locked," said Jaime with a touch of relief. "It will take the police at least five minutes to breech them. And Sandor has taken up a defensive position outside the inside door to the basement stairs, though I cannot locate Gregor anywhere . . . ."

Cersei nodded. Though she harbored no illusions that Sandor could hold off a SWAT Team by force of arms, his presence would delay their entry to the basement by several more, precious seconds.

When both had finished dressing, they went into the walk-in closet, and closed the door behind them. Jaime pressed a concealed button, and the back wall opened up to a hidden stairwell to the basement that then closed behind them after they went through.

Once inside, Jaime retrieved a set of fake ID's, credit cards, some cash, and an AK-47 assault rifle from a small locker before they went to the basement to retrieve their children and the Storybrooke hostages. From there, they would all make their escape through a tunnel system that led to their emergency underground safe-houses. And of those, Tyrion only knew about two . . . .

"Fortunately, Sweet Sister, our _little_ brother does _not_ know of our private safe-house on the other side of the wall," said Jaime. "That should allow us time to get our bearings, and plan our next move!"

"Don't be too certain about what Tyrion 'knows' or does 'not know,' Dear Brother," spat Cersei. "It would not surprise me one bit if we entered our 'private' safe-house only to be greeted by the Night's Wat-, ah, the SWAT Team . . . .

"I swear By The Seven that Queen Regina, Princess Emma and _all_ those blasted Fairy Tales will _pay_ for this, Jaime," said Cersei fiercely. "Oh, how those Fairy Tale bitches will _PAY_!"

The call came over Capt. Mormont's headset just as he took position. "This had better be important, Tarly. We're about to move in!"

Officer Tarly said, "I just detected a new signal coming from inside the house, Captain! It's some kind of closed-circuit transmission, but it's being beamed to a smartphone."

"Can you intercept it?"

"I already have, Captain," said Officer Tarly. "I've located the hostages and all three Baratheon Siblings. They're in the basement common room that Mr. Lannister told us about, and I can see the room clearly from several angles . . . .

"Captain, Jaime and Cersei Lannister just came out of the wall – I mean, out of a hidden _door_ in the wall that _isn't_ in our intelligence report!

"And Captain, Jaime's got an AK-47 . . . !"

Captain Mormont swore, and then advised Commissioner Rivers and the Storybrooke Contingent of the new development, before ordering his men into action, silently praying that the gods would be good, and not cruel . . . .

When Jaime and Cersei arrived at the hidden entrance to the basement, Jaime checked the screen on his smartphone. The hidden cameras showed all three of their children and the Storybrooke hostages. Then, gasping with incredulity, Jaime showed his phone to Cersei, and the Lannister Twins exchanged a look of outrage: Prince Henry was _manhandling_ their eldest son!

Fueled by pure, righteous indignation, Jaime pulled the hidden door open, and roared with the full fury of a Lion of Lannister, "UNHAND MY _SON_, YOU BASEBORN FAIRY TALE 'PRINCE,' OR THE 'LADY' VIOLET OF CAMELOT SHALL _PAY_ FOR YOUR DISRESPECT WITH HER _LIFE_!"

Startled, Henry Mills released his captive, and held his hands up in what he hoped would be recognized as a sign of surrender. Still, he fervently hoped that the newly freed Joffrey would not remember his dropped knife, and use it on him, regardless of his submissive gesture.

But then Henry realized that at that moment, Joffrey Baratheon's thoughts were elsewhere. The High Fantasy Prince seemed to be dazed like a deer caught in oncoming headlights. Henry also noticed that Princess Myrcella and Prince Tommen also seemed to be in shock. And Henry knew that it wasn't because Jaime and Cersei had just come through a hidden door in the wall.

Joffrey took a few tentative steps toward his Uncle Jaime, and said, "Uncle . . . why did you just call me y-your . . . your _son_ . . . ?"


	9. The Sum of All Fears

**Chapter 9: The Sum of All Fears**

So, what's the problem, _now_ . . . ?" said Regina impatiently as Commissioner Rivers ended the call he'd gotten moments before from Capt. Mormont.

The Storybrooke Contingent and Commissioner Rivers had been waiting in the Police Van for less than five minutes when the call came through. Because Commissioner Rivers had used earbuds, his expression remained neutral, and his replies to Capt. Mormont had been Laconic, Regina was prepared for the worst.

Calmly, Commissioner Rivers replied, "The SWAT Team has managed to locate your son and his friend, as well as the Baratheon siblings, in the basement of the Lannister Mansion, but they cannot reach them at this moment.

"Unfortunately, the kids are not alone. Jaime and Cersei have just joined them, using a hidden stairway. I've also just been informed that Jaime is armed with an assault rifle. Apparently, there are some secret passageways built into the mansion that Tyrion was unaware of."

Sir Morgan said, "Do these passageways include a Sally Port?"

"More than likely," said Commissioner Rivers. "Because of this, Capt. Mormont is holding his men back to see if they can take them outside, rather than attempt a firefight in an enclosed space."

"But if Tyrion doesn't know where the passageway emerges," said Emma, "then where will they look?"

Commissioner Rivers said, "Jaime Lannister has a smartphone that Officer Tarly has "pinged," and we're currently tracking it."

"That's all fine and good," allowed Regina. "But what if he discards it?"

"That's a very real possibility," allowed Commissioner Rivers. "But even if he _does_ remember that smartphones may be tracked, and leaves it behind; we've still got a good number of Raven drones airborne that will spot them the moment they emerge from hiding.

"Traffic will be virtually nonexistent at this time in the morning, so if we see any vehicles on the road, we'll be investigating them as a matter of course."

Emma said, "Then where do you think they'll go?"

"Tyrion says that his siblings maintain a few 'safe-houses,' in Winterfell, and told us of the ones he knows about," said Commissioner Rivers. "Captain Mormont is currently redeploying some of his men to those. The rest of the SWAT Team is standing by, and will be ready to move once the Lannisters and their hostages are spotted." Commissioner Rivers then asked Regina, "What I'm mainly worried about is what happens if the Lannisters actually try to _leave_ Winterfell and Storybrooke for the Land Without Magic."

Regina blinked. The question took her off guard. She never really considered the possibility that the Lannisters (or anyone else, for that matter,) would ever try to leave Storybrooke and the United Realms in the first place – though not because it was 'unthinkable.' Rather, because she never considered it to be practical; even for someone as desperate as Cersei Lannister.

"Well, the barrier _is_ down," said Regina thoughtfully. "But Cersei would have to know that they couldn't get very far."

Emma nodded in agreement. "More to the point, they'd have no place to go – even to "hole-up" for a brief time while they got their bearings.

"To even rent a room at a cheap motel in this world, they'd need _identification_ as well as cash."

"We must assume that they have both," said Commissioner Rivers.

"Yes, identification that says they are characters from a work of _fiction_," insisted Regina. "It's one thing to show ID that says you're someone named 'Regina Mills,' with no mention of 'The Evil Queen.' It's another thing altogether to show a driver license or a credit card that says you're THE _Cersei Lannister_."

"No doubt they would have "fake ID," that says they are an alias," said Commissioner Rivers dryly. "Real criminals in the Land Without Magic – and likely the Fictional Realms as well - who have contingency plans in place would have such false papers as a matter of course."

"Still," insisted Regina, "They would have to know for a fact that we _would_ follow them, and that we _wouldn't_ rest until Henry and Violet were safely back home, and they were safely in our custody!

"And Henry's a smart, resourceful boy. He and Violet _would_ find a way to contact us!"

"That's not what I'm worried about, Madame Mayor," said Commissioner Rivers. "You're assuming that the Lannisters will try to run away from us – avoiding as much contact with the natives as possible - and eventually, we shall catch them.

"But the Lannisters would know that this wouldn't be a very good, long-term strategy from the start, and would likely choose a _different_ one that might present them with somewhat better odds of success."

"Like what?" said Emma.

Commissioner Rivers shook his head. "I fear that the Lannisters may try to make _direct contact_ with the _native_ authorities; exposing the existence of Storybrooke and the United Realms of Storytelling to the Land Without Magic . . . ."

Though the sounds of footfalls above them were getting louder, an eerie silence came over the common room in the basement of the Lannister Mansion. Slowly, Henry moved over to Violet, stopping only when Cersei ordered him to not move anymore. But by then, the two Fairy Tale teens were close enough to take each other's hand.

Brandishing the Kalashnikov for emphasis, Jaime added, "_Neither_ of you two will move again unless you are _ordered_ to move! And _then_ you will _obey_ immediately, and _without_ question!

"Now, we're all going down the passageway that will lead us to a place where we may safely pause to plan our next move!" Jaime looked hard at Henry and Violet to be sure that they had absolutely no questions for him. But while both Fairy Tale kids asked no questions, the same could not be said for the eldest High Fantasy boy.

Joffrey said, "Uncle Jaime? W-why did you call me your "_son_," just now . . . ?"

Flustered, Jaime said, "I . . . I often _think_ of you as being _like_ a 'son' to me, Joffrey. You _know_ this to be true . . . .

"And when I saw that Fairy Tale boy harming you, it made me so angry that I –"

Softly, Myrcella said, "We've all heard what people say about our family, 'Uncle' Jaime; especially when they think that we can't hear them."

Cersei snarled, "WHO has said these things, daughter? Was it your teachers at school? Or was it your classmates or their parents? Whoever they may be, I shall see to it that they are _all_ severely punished for such vile, treasonous _slander_!"

"I've never believed any of it, mother," said Myrcella evenly. "Not when it came from jealous nobles and small folk . . . .

"But when 'Uncle Jaime' called Joff _his son_, just now . . . ."

"We're wasting time!" snapped Jaime. "Now, unless you _want_ to be taken by the Nigh-, ah, the police - we all need to go, NOW!"

"Go where . . . ?" said Myrcella all too innocently.

Henry bit his lip to keep from smiling. Princess Myrcella was stalling for time. Then Henry heard pounding against the basement door, and gave Violet's hand a quick squeeze. It wouldn't be much longer . . . .

But Jaime and Cersei had the same thought, and immediately ordered everyone into the tunnel. Once in, Cersei took the lead position with Myrcella and Tommen coming behind her. Next came Henry and Violet, who were being followed by Joffrey.

Jaime brought up the rear, tossing his phone into the common room before closing and sealing the hidden doorway behind him. Seconds later, the sound of the upstairs basement door being forced open was followed by multiple shouts of "Police!" "Don't Move!" and "Search Warrant!" as heavy feet came down the stairs.

Those sounds faded away behind them as the group then went down the well-lit secret tunnel a short distance before Cersei stopped to open _another_ door in the tunnel wall. Henry noticed that, despite being in an already hidden tunnel, this door had been built to blend-in with the concrete wall.

"No doubt," said Cersei evenly, "that our 'Dear Brother Tyrion' must have told the police about our two, _main_ safe-houses. We must assume that _those_ are already compromised and are currently being watched, if not occupied by the police."

Jaime added, "Fortunately, we have a _third_ that Tyrion does _not_ know about . . . ."

Once everyone was through the door, Jaime sealed it from a button on a nearby control panel. He then pressed a few more buttons before they continued down the tunnel.

"I shut off the lights in the main tunnel," said Jaime. "And if anyone tries to come down that way, it will activate tear gas sprayers. That should buy us enough time to get away, and go where they cannot find us!"

Then, after walking a bit further, the group emerged into a small, unfinished basement. Henry did some quick calculations in his head, orienting himself as best as he could.

They _hadn't_ gone far. But by Henry's reckoning, they had walked for too long to be next door or even across the street from the Lannister Mansion. Henry guessed that they had walked underground for at least two or three blocks, and were now likely in a smaller house just outside of the wall surrounding the King's Landing Subdivision.

Jaime than handed Joffrey some large zip-ties, and instructed him to secure Henry's and Violet's hands behind their backs. This, Joffrey did with great pleasure, ensuring that he made them tight. But if either Fairy Tale teen was uncomfortable, they didn't give any outward signs of discomfort, much less pain. Henry and Violet exchanged a quick glance, silently agreeing that neither of them would give Joffrey _any_ such satisfaction.

Myrcella risked a quick glance at Henry and Violet. She could tell that they were in pain, and wanted to protest. But instead, she asked her 'uncle,' "So, where are we, now . . . ?"

Jaime said, "Where those accursed Fairy Tales will _never_ find us; at least not in the short-term."

Cersei added, "But where we're _going_; they will dare not follow!"

Immediately realizing what Cersei meant, Henry turned to Violet, and said, "Oh, no . . . ."

Cersei smiled, and said, "Oh, yes.

"Winterfell and Storybrooke are now too dangerous for us to safely remain here, children. So, we'll need to leave – temporarily, of course – until such time as we may return with . . . now, how shall I put this . . . _reinforcements_, to help us regain what was taken from us!"

Violet said, "You're going to try to get help from the Land Without Magic natives."

Henry said, "Good luck with that!

"You won't find _anyone_ out there, in the Land Without Magic, who can get you back in; much less anyone who'll believe that you are THE Cersei Lannister from "Game of Thrones!"

Condescendingly, Cersei replied, "Quite obviously, we shall not tell anyone _that_ part . . . .

"We shall use the names on our 'alternate' ID papers – it matters not that the native _authorities_ will assume that they are "fake." But _who_ we are is not as important as _what_ we shall tell them we are: Visitors, nay, _invaders_ from a parallel dimension!

"And that we can take them to a place where they may find many, many more of us hiding in this world . . . ."

After getting a terse message from Capt. Mormont that the Lannister Mansion was secured, but that the Lannisters and their hostages were not on the premises, Commissioner Rivers turned to Regina, and said, "It is as I'd feared; the Lannisters are attempting to leave Storybrooke for the Land Without Magic. And, yes, Jaime Lannister _did_ discard his phone. We can't track him that way, now. Needless to say, they must be stopped . . . .

"Madame Mayor, Sheriff Swan; on behalf of the Unincorporated Municipality of Winterfell's Police Department, I hereby formally request the assistance of the Storybrooke Authorities.

Simultaneously, both Regina and Emma said, "You GOT it!"

Since the main exit to the Land Without Magic was in Storybrooke territory, Commissioner Rivers asked Tyrion Lannister to join them, and then ordered the driver to take them all to the Crisis Center currently set up at the Storybrooke Town Hall.

When they arrived and entered the Mayor's Office, they found that the original group had grown in size, and several other leading citizens of Storybrooke had joined them. After introductions were made, Mayor Mills and Commissioner Rivers brought everyone present up to speed.

"So you see," said Regina, "the current situation has now become even more dangerous and precarious; not just for the hostages, but for _everyone_ who calls the United Realms our home.

"Though I want my son Henry and Violet Morgan returned safely, the priority has . . . shifted.

"Whatever else happens, the Lannisters must NOT be allowed to leave for the outside world!"

A long moment of worried murmurs was broken by Dr. Hopper. "Mayor Mills, _surely_ the native authorities will not give _any_ credence to the Lannister's claims of being from 'another world,' much less believe that we are _characters_ from Realms of Storytelling!

"I think that we're worrying _needlessly_ about being "outed," and should _maintain_ focus on rescuing Henry and Violet; even if the rescue needs to happen _outside_ of Storybrooke."

Now Leroy spoke. "Do you _really_ want to take that chance, Cricket? If the natives ever find a way into Storybrooke, just imagine what they'll do to us!

"When Greg Mendel, AKA Owen Flynn found his way back in, I was worried about being annoyed by tour busses. And _that's_ only if 'the natives' _really_ believe that we're the characters from their favorite stories come-to-life!

"But what if the Lannisters leave _that_ part out and just say that we're all _aliens_ from another dimension? _That's_ something that the natives might just believe!

"Tour buses? Man, was I naïve! More likely we'd have to worry about tanks, armored personnel carriers and helicopter gunships chocked full of trigger-happy natives . . . !"

"NO!" screamed Ashley "Cinderella" Boyd, as she stood up from her seat, holding her daughter Alexandra so tightly that the little girl cried. "We _know_ what the local natives do to people – to families! – that are found to be here, illegally! And THAT to people from THIS world! Imagine what they'd do to . . . to _aliens from an alternate dimension_!"

"You got that right, sister!" Leroy said. "They'll not only separate us, they'll pack us off to Area-51, or a lab at Quantico for study!"

Another uneasy murmur rose above those in attendance, and this time it took Regina and Emma longer to restore order.

Then Marco stood, and calmly pointed out, "B-but _surely_, such a claim – that we're _aliens_ from another _dimension_ – even if you leave out that we are what they believe to be "fictional characters" from their stories - is so _fantastic_ and _unprovable_, that the people of the Land Without Magic will _not_ accept it; at least not without Cersei Lannister being able to provide equally _fantastic proof_ . . . ?"

Then Dr. Whale spoke. "Well unfortunately, the Lannisters may just be able to provide all the proof they need.

"If they can convince the appropriate authorities to run a DNA test on them, it would likely show that they _are_ humans, but that they are _also_ the product of a . . . separate, _parallel_ evolution.

"And even if they couldn't convince 'the authorities' to run such an extensive – and _expensive_ – test; they _still_ might be able to convince some private organization who _will_, and then show those results to the proper authorities, who will then have no choice but to take note."

Now, Mr. Gold stood and spoke. "We also needs must remember that the authorities' interest may be piqued by the mere mention of the name, "Storybrooke," which is already a matter of public record in the Land Without Magic." Another murmur went through those in attendance, but it soon stopped on its own, and Mr. Gold continued.

"First, as Grumpy pointed out, there are the statements made by the young Owen Flynn to the police after he managed to escape. Many of these were picked-up by the tabloids.

"And then, there was that time in New York when I found myself hospitalized for a, um, 'heart condition.' For that matter, I still get bills from that hospital occasionally to this very day.

"My point being, if the natives hear the name "Storybrooke," and attempt to cross-reference it in their formidable computer network; it's more than likely that they'll get a "hit." If nothing else, it would lend some plausibility to whatever the Lannisters may tell the authorities.

"We know the mail can get through," said Snow as she held Neil, glancing reassuringly at Ashley as she did. "But if they tried to send anyone _physically_ into town, it won't work. We already know this."

"But if they believe the Lannisters, then they'll be looking for us in earnest, now," said Regina nodding. "And if native technology can manage to poke-holes in the charms, spells and wards protecting us from the outside . . . ."

Regina exchanged a wordless glance with Emma, and then with Sir Morgan, and sighed with resignation. Standing from her place at the table, she then went over to the podium to address those assembled. Not as the Mayor of Storybrooke. Not as a mother of a son being held hostage. She spoke to them as the Elected Queen of the United Realms.

"Bottom line? The Lannisters must _not_ be allowed to leave Storybrooke," said Regina in a firm and decisive voice with a slight tincture of anger. "We cannot let them risk the exposure of Our World. Not for . . . anyone.

"This is more important than the risks to the hostages' safety . . . ."

Now David Nolan stood. "Alright, listen up, everyone! We'll need to set a cordon around Storybrooke and the United Realms in case the Lannisters attempt to cross the border on foot.

"Now, you all heard Commissioner Rivers. Jaime Lannister has an assault rifle, and they likely have other small arms as well. If nothing else, they are running scared and are desperate to leave, but must be stopped at . . . all costs!"

Emma added, "We're going to need a lot of help patrolling the border! Can we get some volunteers?" Though Emma was pleased that nearly everyone present raised their hands, she still knew that they'd need far more people.

Fortunately, August "Pinocchio" Booth also came to the same realization, and said, "Sheriff, I think I know where we might be able to get all the help we'll need; help that is fast, mobile and not afraid of a fight. But it's going to take me at least an hour or so to set things up."

When Emma nodded to him, August left immediately. Once outside, he tried calling for help on his smartphone, only to get a voicemail message from both numbers. Neither Khal nor Dany were answering, which – given how far along Dany was – meant that Storybrooke General Hospital was probably the best place to start looking.

A short ride later, August smiled when he arrived at the hospital to find about two dozen custom Harley Choppers in the parking lot. The Hog Lords were here, alright, and finding them was half the battle. Now August only hoped that they would be able to help. It was worth a try, one biker to another . . . .

He then parked his Triumph next to the line of Harleys, and headed straight for the Maternity Ward. It didn't take him long to find out which room to go to, and when he got there, he was greeted by a smiling Khal Drogo himself.

"DUDE!" exclaimed Drogo when he saw August approaching. He then shoved a cigar into the former puppet's mouth before August could say anything as he gestured to the smiling, but tired white-haired woman on the bed, who was holding a newborn baby boy. "I'd like you to meet our son, Rhaego!

"Oh, MAN! This is THE happiest day of my life!" The Khal then pulled August closer, and added in an uncharacteristically soft voice, "I've been reading "our book," man, and let me tell ya, this could have _really_ ended badly for all of us . . . !"

August nodded to Dany and her son, and then said, "Khal, man, I hate to be the bringer of bad news; especially now.

"But we've all got a serious _situation_ on our hands . . . ."


	10. Negotiations

**Chapter 10: Negotiations**

Henry Mills suppressed a shiver as the full implications of what the Lannisters were going to attempt ran though his mind all at once. But while none of these thoughts were good _per se;_ being taken outside of Storybrooke _could_ offer some opportunities for escape that the Lannisters might overlook.

Henry had been outside of Storybrooke before on several occasions, and knew what to expect much better than Cersei and Jaime; who were still mostly relying on theoretical, 'implanted knowledge' about the Land Without Magic. In addition, the Lannisters were still somewhat disoriented by the slow awakening process that the Black Fairy/Red Woman had built into her Dark Curse.

But Henry also realized that this last advantage was dribbling away. The mere fact that Jaime had discarded his phone without comment, much less hesitation, to avoid the possibility of being tracked before closing the hidden passageway door proved that their Medieval, High Fantasy "life skills" were being overwritten with a 21st Century mindset at a quickening pace.

Still, whatever the Lannisters had planned, (if they even _had_ any detailed, post-escape plans at all,) couldn't be implemented immediately. Just how, exactly, do you approach "the native authorities," and claim to be from an _alternate reality_; even if you leave off the hardest part to swallow about being from a _fictional_ realm? And on some level, even the Lannisters must realize this problem, meaning that whatever they did could _not_ happen too soon after they all left Storybrooke.

And all that time, his moms and all of Storybrooke would be looking for them . . . .

All that Henry and Violet needed to do was get a message back home with a location. Even if neither of them could send it themselves, Henry was sure that Myrcella would be able to get one off for them. All she'd need is Regina's or Emma's email address, and Henry was confident that he could slip them to Myrcella without being discovered.

Still, being taken to the Land Without Magic would put all of the United Realms in jeopardy the moment the Lannisters made contact with the natives – any natives. Though Storybrooke and the United Realms were well-hidden by multiple concealment charms and spells woven by his mother and grandfather, they were still somewhat porous enough to allow things like phone and internet connections, as well as television and radio and even actual mail.

That was, after all, how he had been able to find his mom Emma several years back. Henry often wondered if this same process could work in reverse; especially if those searching for Storybrooke knew roughly where and what to look for.

And even if the Lannisters didn't realize it, it wasn't like theirs' would be the first mention of a hidden community from another world named "Storybrooke" located on the coast of Maine. Henry had read the online articles from 30 years ago on the "National Enquirer" website about a young boy named Owen Flynn that he found by simply Googling "Storybrooke." And a few months back, he remembered when Grandpa Rumple commented at dinner that he was _still_ getting bills from his hospital stay in New York.

Henry knew that this couldn't be allowed to happen. Even if the Lannisters were not believed, the mere mention of "Storybrooke" would add yet another piece to the larger puzzle that might draw uncomfortable attention their way at some time in the future.

If ever the people of Storybrooke needed hope, it was now. And it was up to Prince Henry Mills to get the ball of hope rolling. Addressing their captors directly, Henry said, "Queen Cersei, your plan _won't_ work. Even if you do manage to get out of Storybrooke, you _know_ that my moms _will_ come after you, and they _won't_ rest until the Lady Violet and I are safely back home, and you are in their custody!

"But there is _another_ way . . . .

"If you call my moms now and turn yourselves in, you _will_ be taken into custody, but neither you nor your kids will be harmed. Instead, we can and will help you adjust to this world. You _don't_ have to be an 'Evil Queen.' You _can_ fight it! My mom Regina broke free of it. You can, too!"

Cersei raised an eyebrow. "And what, Prince Henry, makes you think that I'm an 'evil' queen?"

Henry said, "Well for starters, taking us captive at gunpoint and holding us hostage so you can 'take over' Storybrooke doesn't exactly make a case that you're a 'good' queen . . . ."

"I'll concede that point, Prince Henry," said Cersei nodding. "But you Fairy Tales seem to think that people – characters, actually – needs must fall into one of two categories: Good or Evil.

"But in High Fantasy - indeed, life in general - it's often so much more complicated than that. And if you had taken the time to read _our_ stories, even as I've taken the time to read _your_ stories; you would realize that this applies to Fairy Tale people, as well."

Now Jaime joined in. "I believe that you Fairy Tales have a saying. Now, how does it go? "Evil isn't born; it's made?"

Cautiously, Henry nodded. "The way people are treated by others _does_ influence their choices. It's important to treat other people the way you would want to be treated, yourself. But even people who feel that they were treated unfairly can still _choose_ to respond to how they're treated, if they know what's right from what's wrong."

Both Jaime and Cersei snorted. Joffrey actually laughed out loud. Jaime continued, "Ah, yes, Prince Henry; we all have a 'choice' in such matters, I suppose. We likely have several different choices, for that matter. At least, that's how things work in Fairy Tales . . . .

"But what if none of the available choices are what you would call "good" ones?

"And I'll take it further: What if you didn't even have the _option_ of choosing between the "lesser" of available evils? What if the _only_ choices available to you were between that which allowed you to live, or ensured the deaths of you and those you loved?

"Tell me, Prince Henry. Do you know of what might have happened in the "Old Country" to Bran Stark when he observed my sweet sister and I getting . . . caught up with each other . . . ?"

Henry nodded. Though he had not read "A Song of Ice and Fire;" the story about Bran Stark's 'accident' and what he saw that brought it about was too well known, and was just one of the many reasons why "Game of Thrones" was not popular among the Fairy Tale inhabitants of Storybrooke.

"I had _no choice_ but to act thusly," said Jaime almost apologetically. "You see, I was not only protecting myself, but also my sister and . . . her children."

Henry said, "But that _didn't_ happen in this world, yet, and it _doesn't_ have to happen, at all!

"Bran Stark is _not_ a paraplegic. Maybe you thought that you _didn't_ have a choice to do what is right in the Old Country. But here in Storybrooke, you DO have this option. All you have to do is take it!"

As Prince Henry tried to convince Jaime and Cersei Lannister that giving themselves up was in their best interest, Myrcella slowly eased herself behind her little brother, putting a reassuring hand on the boy's shoulder. But this was not just a move to comfort her scared brother. It also provided cover for what she did next. While all eyes were focused on Henry, the expat Westerosi Princess carefully took her phone from the pocket of her pajamas.

Working one handed, not daring to look down, she fervently hoped that her text to Sansa Stark would be legible . . . .

True to his word, August Booth came back to the Storybrooke Town Hall with some much needed reinforcements. About two dozen members of the Hog Lords Biker's Club had arrived with the former puppet moments before, including Khal and Dany Drogo with their newborn baby boy, who was now being looked after by Granny Lucas and her squad with the other noble children of Storybrooke.

Khal went straight over to Regina and Emma, and said, "Yo, ladies! Woody here says we've got us a real heavy scene on our hands! It'd be really bogus if the Lannisters rat us all out to the Land Without Magic heavies, and blow our sweet ride, big time!"

Regina smiled as she shook Khal's hand. After a quick briefing about the Dothraki by Belle earlier in the day, Queen Regina was somewhat surprised at what the Dark Curse made of the fierce Khal Drogo and his riders. Though the big, hairy man was ostentatiously friendly and obviously eager to be helpful, his 'Cursed Persona' of a happy-go-lucky Leader of the local "Bikers' Club" might not be enough in a situation like this.

Sensing Regina's worry, Emma said, "We can use all the help we can get to locate our son and his friend, Khal. Your Hog Lords can cover a lot of ground, but you need to know that the Lannisters are armed and dangerous, in addition to being desperate."

"It is _known_," said Khal shaking his head solemnly. "A real bummer, man!"

Regina shook her head. If ever there was a time she needed subtitles . . . .

Lowering her voice a bit, Emma continued. "Forget for a moment that I'm the Sheriff of Storybrooke. I gotta ask: are you and your, ah, 'club,' members armed?"

Khal shrugged apologetically, and said, "Well, we _were_ armed, before we got hit with the Red Chick's big DC. But even though it turned our horses into these badass, custom _Hogs_, it really did a whack-job on our _arakhs_ . . . ."

The other Hog Lords all nodded sadly in agreement, forlornly saying, "It is known!" Khal then reached into his leather jacket and withdrew a ballpeen hammer.

"Like, what in the Asphalt Sea am I supposed to do with _this_? Offer to bang out a dent in the Lannisters' hot water heater or barbecue grill if they let your kids go and turn themselves in nice and quiet like . . . ?" Khal sighed. "That Red Chick, Melisandre . . . . _Her_, I do NOT like!"

Again, Regina shook her head. _Ask for Attila the Hun; get Eric Von Zipper . . . ._

Emma said, "Well, we _don't_ want you or your people to directly confront the Lannisters, Khal. Just station yourselves around the perimeter of Storybrooke, and be on the lookout for them. Call the Town Hall if you see anything, and _we'll _make the next move."

"Righteous!" said Khal nodding. He then turned to his 'club,' and said, "Alright, dudes! You all heard the nice lady! Let's ride!" Moments later, the Hog Lords were headed to man the border.

"Well, Emma, at least that's got the border covered," said Regina. "But what's next?"

Before Emma could answer, Commissioner Rivers came over, and said, "I just spoke with Capt. Mormont."

"_Please_ tell me that you've got some _good_ news," said Regina wearily.

Commissioner Rivers shrugged. "I suppose it depends on how you look at it.

"We've got the Clegane Brothers in custody. They're in a holding cell right now at the Winterfell Police Station. We also got most of the Lannister's Kingsguard Security Employees, as well."

"That seemed easy enough," said Emma with a touch of incredulity. "I expected them to put up more of a fight."

Commissioner Rivers sighed. "We were very lucky to have taken them before they began to seriously 'awaken,' and they were still operating under the protocols of 'this world' at the time.

"Instead of attempting to resist a SWAT Team, they surrendered; no doubt operating under the assurance that the Lannisters' lawyers would have them out on bond within a few hours."

Commissioner Rivers shook his head. "And that's another thing. In the past, whenever we took any of the Lannisters' men into custody, Mr. Pycelle or some other Lannister Shyster would come within hours to get them out on bail. But so far, nobody has come for them.

"And yes, Sheriff Swan; they've been given their free phone calls. But nobody's replied."

"I wonder what's taking them so long to get their men out?" said Emma. "How are the Lannisters' "Wiseguys" taking the wait?"

"Not well," admitted Commissioner Rivers. "What's more, they are starting to 'awaken,' and they are becoming quite unruly, making it necessary to assign more men to watch them, and this means less of our men are available to look for the still at large Lannister Siblings and their hostages.

"And there's more. Our SWAT Team is also beginning to 'awaken,' as well, and they are starting to remember that they're actually sworn brothers of the Night's Watch. The bottom line is that they're questioning the _propriety_ of 'taking sides' in what is clearly a political matter between members of Expat Westerosi Noble Houses.

"For now, we've decided to excuse those men – temporarily - on conscientious grounds. But this means that we will need for the Storybrooke Authorities to take an even larger role in apprehending the Lannisters."

"And _that_ means," added Regina," that whatever we do; it had better not be on High Fantasy soil."

Commissioner Rivers nodded. "I'll do whatever I can to contain the "optics" of such a scenario if that's unavoidable, Mayor Mills. But regardless, there will be other Westerosi nobles who will likely use anything done to the Lannisters to stir-up anti-Fairy Tale feelings.

"Seven help us all if the likes of Petyr Baelish or Janos Slynt are able to exploit Fairy Tale police operating on High Fantasy grounds for political gain."

"Then we'd _better_ take them on Fairy Tale soil," said Emma nodding. "And they'll likely have to go through Storybrooke to leave; especially if they go by car.

"But still, I'd like to know where they are, now . . . ."

Before Emma could finish her thought, Mayor Robert Baratheon, accompanied by Deputy Mayor Eddard Stark and the Stark Siblings, joined the group and said, "I think I might be able to help you with that. Mayor Mills." He then nodded to Commissioner Rivers, and said, "So, am I addressing Commissioner Rivers, or Lord "Bloodraven" Brynden?"

Commissioner Rivers said, "I suppose if I am to address you as "Mayor," in this world, that you would do me the courtesy of addressing me as "Commissioner." This is not the "Old Country," _Mayor_ Baratheon. And the sooner we all adapt, the easier it will be for us."

"Well spoken," said Deputy Mayor Stark with a touch of relief. "And also, because this isn't "the Old Country," we may yet have a way to find out where your son and his friend are being held, Mayor Mills.

Ned then put a comforting hand on Sansa's shoulder, and said, "Tell them, Little Dove."

Sansa said, "I – I got a text from Myrcella about a half an hour ago. It was hard to read. But she says that they are in a house that's just outside of the King's Landing Subdivision. She also said that she'd tell us more when she gets a chance to."

As if in answer, Sansa's smartphone signaled an incoming text. "It's Myrcella, again. This message is clearer. She says that she's excused herself to go to the bathroom, but she won't be able to stay there much longer without her mom checking on her. But she definitely thinks that they must be somewhere outside of the King's Landing wall because of how long they walked."

Mayor Baratheon shook his head wearily. "I _was_ aware of the tunnel system in the Lannister Mansion basement, as well as the two safe-houses a few doors down, on either side of us.

"But if there is a _hidden_ branch to the tunnel, and a third, or even a _fourth_ safe house, I cannot say where they may be.

"Apparently, the, ah, 'relationship' that Cersei maintained with her twin brother was not the only secret that she's kept from me."

Regina nodded, and then said to Sansa, "Ask Myrcella where she thinks she might be, now."

Sansa texted back, and soon got a reply. "She doesn't know. The bathroom she's in doesn't have a window."

Commissioner Rivers nodded, and said, "Tell her to keep quiet for now, and we'll try to track her phone." As Sansa did this, Commissioner Rivers continued, "I'll have Capt. Mormont get Officer Tarly on this right away."

When Commissioner Rivers was finished, the Fairy Tale / High Fantasy Coalition began planning their next move to rescue the Lannister's hostages; coordinating their efforts to make it clear to people of all genres that this was a joint-operation. But as they did, nobody noticed that Mr. Gold and Tyrion Lannister had stepped out into the hallway for a private conversation of their own.

Though Mr. Gold was keeping his tone civil and businesslike, Tyrion could detect a trace of worry in the former Dark One's voice. And from much experience, Tyrion knew that worry invariably led to mistrust if it wasn't quickly assuaged.

"It wasn't supposed to happen like this, Tyrion," said Mr. Gold almost, but not quite, conversationally. "My grandson and his friend were _supposed_ to be safely back in Storybrooke, and your siblings in custody, by now."

Tyrion nodded. "Unfortunately, while I did know of the secret escape tunnels under the Lannister Mansion, I was completely unaware of the additions."

"You're slipping, then."

"But this is just a _minor_ setback, Rumpelstiltskin, and may even work to our long-term advantage. This new coalition between Storybrooke and Winterfell will likely be better accepted if a resolution does not come too quickly, and thus appear to be . . . contrived.

"Besides, I might point out that my niece and nephews are in harm's way as well, and this was _also_ completely unforeseen. The original plan was for the SWAT Team to find them in their rooms, and lead them to safety."

"Just so," allowed Rumple. "But for our deal to be fulfilled, my grandson and his friend must be returned to us, safe and unharmed."

"And my Dear Brother and Sweet Sister _must_ be taken into custody," added Tyrion with a calculated trace of urgency. Otherwise, I may not _have_ the opportunity to take advantage of your end of our . . . deal."

"Oh, never fear, Tyrion," said Rumple. "I stand ready to fulfill _my_ end of our deal; the moment you have fulfilled _yours_. In fact, I'm most _eager_ to put this sordid business behind me.

"You see, if nothing else, Storybrooke _isn't_ big enough for _two_ 'Resident Imps,' _Dearie_.

"And I was here, _first_ . . . ."


	11. Cersei's Mistake

**Chapter 11: Cersei's Mistake**

Breakfast at the Lannister safe house was a Spartan affair consisting of cereal bars and bottled sports drink. Jaime ate first, and then went to the garage to ready their getaway vehicle while Cersei supervise breakfast for the children. Despite still being bound by zip-ties, Henry and Violet didn't complain as they ate and drank, with the assistance of Myrcella and Tommen. Joffrey was another matter.

"Why can't we have a _proper_ breakfast, Mother?" groused Joffrey as he tossed more than half of his uneaten cereal bar into the nearest wastebasket. "This Land Without Magic garbage isn't even fit for the poorest Hedge Knight!"

"Prince Henry and the Lady Violet don't seem to mind," said Myrcella neutrally as she helped Violet take a sip of orange flavored sports drink.

Joffrey rounded to his sister, and snapped, "Nobody _asked_ you!"

"Enough," said Cersei before anyone else could speak. Though her tone was pleasant, it still carried an implied order. "Our driver will be here, soon. And I want everyone ready to go the moment he arrives."

Just as conversationally, Henry said, "You know that they'll be checking every car that goes anywhere near the border, Queen Cersei."

"Just so, Prince Henry," said Jaime as he came in from the garage, "which is why we shall not be leaving Storybrooke . . . by _car_." He then turned to his sister, and added, "Our driver will arrive, soon. We'll need to be aboard when he comes."

Jaime then motioned for everyone to follow him out to the garage, where Henry was surprised to see a large, single rear axle, diesel flatbed truck carrying a load of railroad ties. Even though the garage door was closed, the truck's engine was idling, but a flexible, metal tube slipped over the muffler pipe directed the exhaust safely to the outside.

Jaime then pushed a concealed button on the truck's frame, and the back of the load of ties extended outward, and swung open to allow access to a roomy, well-lit hidden interior compartment.

Henry blinked when he saw what was inside. In addition to comfortable seating for at least 10 people, there were flat screen monitors on the finished walls, and even a small kitchenette and what was probably a small lavatory in one corner. A rush of cool air spilled out, telling him that the compartment was air conditioned, as well. No wonder the engine was already running.

Wearily, Henry shook his head, and said, "Seriously . . . ?"

"Indeed, we are," said Jaime dryly. "There are some railroad tie retaining walls near the border that are always in constant need of maintenance. A delivery of replacement ties will not attract too much unwanted attention."

"And I wouldn't advise trying to shout-out should we run into any checkpoints," added Cersei. "Our wheelhouse is quite soundproof."

"And well-armored," said Jaime. "Oh, and it's also equipped with firing-ports." Jaime patted his Kalashnikov for emphasis. "If needs must; we'll be able to shoot our way past any roadblocks."

Jaime then pulled-down a retractable stairway, and climbed aboard. Joffrey went next, followed by Henry and Violet. Myrcella and Tommen were about to ascend the ladder next, but before they could, their mother stopped them.

"I'll want to bring some additional items along that we might need," said Cersei. "I probably should have gotten them aboard, sooner. But I only just now remembered them . . . .

"Myrcella, Tommen; I'll need your help while your uncle and brother watch the Storybrooke Royal Hostages."

Cersei then led her daughter and youngest son down the basement stairs to the door from the tunnel they came through hours earlier. Cersei unlocked the tunnel door, and they followed her a few yards down. Pressing a hidden latch revealed a control panel that Cersei used to open yet _another_ hidden doorway in the tunnel wall.

Myrcella whispered to Tommen, "Our mother, the 'Bond Villain' . . . ." But if Cersei heard her, she did not deign to reply.

Instead, Cersei turned on the light, revealing what looked like a hidden store room, and said, "I need you two to get those boxes on the shelf nearest the door while I get some other items that we might need."

Myrcella and Tommen were about halfway to the shelves when Cersei suddenly grabbed Myrcella's arm, and took her cellphone from her pocket. She then shoved both children into the room and slammed the door behind them.

Speaking through a loudspeaker, Cersei said, "Myrcella, did you really think that I _didn't_ know about your phone, _or_ that you were in contact with the Stark brats?"

"Mother, why are you doing this?" said Tommen, near panic. "Are you going to _entomb_ us, here?"

"Hardly," said Cersei reasonably. "Besides, this is most certainly _not_ a tomb . . . .

"Look around you. This is what this world's natives call a "Panic Room." It's _not_ a dungeon. If you look deeper into the room, you will see private, comfortable sleeping areas, a small, well-stocked kitchen, a lavatory, and even a collection of music and movies on DVDs, to help you pass the time.

"Besides, you will not be here for very long. I've set the lock on a timer, and it will open in six hours. That should be more than long enough for the rest of us to be safely away from the United Realms. And then, you are both free to 'assist' Queen Regina and her people in any way you see fit!"

"Y-you're just going to leave us with the Fairy Tales?" said Myrcella incredulously.

"And why not?" said Cersei reasonably. "I have absolutely no fear that they will harm either of you in 'retaliation' for what we are doing. They are not like us . . . .

"But unfortunately, the two of you seem to have fallen under their spell. Know that I don't hate you, even though you've betrayed your House and your Genre. However, when we return to reclaim what is Rightfully Ours, I have every reason to believe that you will have learned the error of your ways.

"Until then, your clandestine communications with House Stark may yet prove useful to our escape plans."

Myrcella and Tommen both tried to reply, but soon realized that their mother had turned off the two-way speaker.

Using the inner control panel near the door, Myrcella tried to call for her mother, but the speaker was locked, and could not be overridden. She then vainly tried the other controls on the panel. Needless to say, the door lock was unresponsive, but a digital readout was counting down from six hours, and showed that five hours and fifty-four minutes still remained.

Still, Myrcella wasn't ready to simply give-up. Tommen was sobbing, but Myrcella wiped his tears, and said, "We need to get out of here as soon as possible to warn Mayor Mills.

"Mom and . . . 'Uncle Jaime' built this room to keep attackers _out_; not to imprison themselves _in_. There _must_ be some other hidden way out other than this door, and we need to find it . . . !"

Cersei closed the hidden panel in the tunnel, and then went back into the safe-house basement, leaving the tunnel door to the basement open so her two younger children would be able to leave when the timer expired.

Cersei sighed. She had expected more from _her_ children. But she was certain that they would come around, in time. She then smiled as she used Myrcella's phone to send a new text to the Stark brats to buy them the diversion they needed to escape to the Land Without Magic.

Back at Storybrooke Town Hall, Sansa Stark immediately showed the text she got from Myrcella to Sheriff Swan, who then went to the microphone, and said, "Alright everybody, we've just got a new text from Myrcella that says they are going west in a red minivan, and will try to leave the United Realms through Winterfell, on foot, if necessary."

"Then we'll need to redeploy," said Regina. "First, get a message to the Hog Lords, and –"

"Wait a minute, Regina," said Emma a she took a closer look at the text. "There's something _weird_ about this . . . ."

Mayor Mills took Sansa's phone, skimmed the message, and nodded. "You think . . . ?"

"Well, I can't be positive. But let me get a more "expert" opinion about this."

Emma then handed the phone to Ava Zimmer, who glanced at it, and immediately said, "Yeah, Sheriff Swan, "No _Fifth Grader_ sent _that_ text!" Ava read the text aloud:

"Sansa,

"I need to be quick because I don't have a lot of time and my battery is running out of electricity.

"My Lady Mother, Queen Cersei Lannister, and my Uncle, Ser Jaime the Kingslayer, say that we're going to head westward as far as the main road in Winterfell will take us, and then we'll try to leave the United Realms for the Land Without Magic; either by car or on foot.

"By the way, the car we're in is a red minivan. Prince Henry and his companion, the Lady Violet of Camelot, are hale and hearty, for now, and do send their regards.

"This will be my last message, as I shall be forced to leave my cellphone behind. The risk of getting caught with it is too great, and besides, I won't be able to recharge it without being discovered by my Lady Mother, my Uncle Jaime, or my dear brother, Prince Joffrey.

"Please help us!

"Princess Myrcella."

Regina snorted, and said, "Cersei _must_ have sent that text! Or Jaime . . . .

"Ava's right. There's no way a ten-year-old girl wrote _that_!"

Emma nodded and scrolled the screen to see Myrcella's earlier texts to Sansa that evening, all but confirming their suspicions. Those messages were much shorter, far less formal, and replete with textspeak abbreviations. Emma then gave the phone back to Sansa.

"I hope that Myrcella is alright," said Sansa worriedly. "If her mom or uncle caught her sending a message to us . . . ."

Belle said, "I don't think that Myrcella or Tommen are in any immediate danger, Sansa. I've done some background reading on Cersei Lannister on GoT fan message boards."

"I get it," said Regina dryly. "She loves her children."

"But not 'love,' the same way that you love Henry," said Belle. "I don't think that Cersei is _capable_ of love like that. I think that the only person she is actually capable of loving is _herself_."

"That makes sense," said Emma.

Belle continued. "Given Cersei's extreme narcissism, she likely sees her children _and_ her twin brother as "extensions" of herself; and therefore perfect almost by definition."

"So, what's our next move?" said Emma.

"Well, for starters," said Regina. "We know that they're not going 'westward in a red minivan.'" Regina then turned to Commissioner Rivers, and added, "The easiest way to leave Storybrooke by cars through the main entrance, but if they attempt to leave on foot through the woods, they might slip out with less chance of being detected."

Commissioner Rivers said, "Then we'll need some kind of counter-diversion to make Cersei and Jaime _believe_ that we're falling for their ruse . . . .

"I'll instruct Capt. Mormont to take his men "westward" and to be on the lookout for a "red minivan." If we make enough of a commotion doing this, then any spies the Lannisters may have on the outside would let them know that we've "taken the bait." The main thing is to keep them on the primary road out of town; preferably through Fairy Tale territory.

"But if they decide to abandon their vehicle and leave on foot through the forest, they'll be harder to stop."

Emma nodded, "Unless they think they've got us fooled."

Regina allowed herself a thin smile. "If they _don't_ run into any patrols, they might get suspicious. It just makes sense that we'd have _some_ sentries assigned to watch the less-likely routes, just in case.

"But if they are "waived-through" at a small checkpoint, or two, a few miles away from the town line, they might think that they fooled us enough to attempt to leave the rest of the way by car."

Commissioner Rivers nodded. "Then we can stop them just before they leave. If nothing else, we'll be able to keep any potential gunplay away from the center of town."

Regina said, "We'll assign a few people to stop cars headed to the road out of town. We'll also have some cars already waiting in line. Whenever an unidentified vehicle comes through, we'll quickly waive the few cars ahead of them through, and then let the suspect vehicle go, as well."

Emma added, "Then we can keep that vehicle under surveillance, and pull it over a little further down."

"Who'll we use for that?" said Regina.

"Anyone who knows how to use a pistol or a rifle," said Emma. "If nothing else, we'll need to get the 'drop' on them before Jaime can bring up his AK-47.

"And with your permission, Madame Mayor, I'd like to lead that group."

Regina said, "Fine by me. But I want to be there, too."

Emma started to protest, but Regina said, "I _need_ to handle this one, Emma. You took care of Cruella de Vil the last time something like this happened to our son. I may be the "Good Queen," now. But as long as Henry is being threatened, Queen Cersei and I are in need of a little "Old Country-style," _hand-to-heart_ talk about her bad behavior!"

Commissioner Rivers began to protest, but Regina added, "Don't worry, Commissioner. I'll keep my use of magic to the absolute minimum, and whatever else I do, I _won't_ kill her. After all is said and done, she's still your Queen . . . .

"She'll get humane treatment and a fair trial from us. But if Henry and Violet are elsewhere when we take the Lannisters into custody, I may need to get some information from them _fast_ before they "lawyer-up." The safety of my son and Violet Morgan is NOT negotiable."

Commissioner Rivers considered Mayor Mills' statement for a moment, nodded, and then said, "Fair enough. So long as this . . . _field query_ of yours happens in _Fairy Tale_ territory, I should be able to keep any possible diplomatic repercussions . . . contained."

"That still leaves the matter of Jaime's assault rifle," said Emma.

"I may have an idea of how we may be able to remove that threat," said Commissioner Rivers, who then turned to David, and said, "But this will depend mostly on you."

"What do you mean?" said David.

Seriously, Commissioner Rivers said, "How good of a swordsman are you . . . ."

Commissioner Rivers explained his idea and, Prince Charming promptly agreed. Then, working together, the Fairy Tale and High Fantasy communities put their plan to save their world and to rescue the hostages into motion.

Jaime Lannister did not seem too surprised when Cersei returned to the truck without Myrcella and Tommen. Wordlessly, he pulled up the stairway, and closed the door once Cersei was aboard. She then took her seat as they all waited in silence for their driver to arrive.

Cautiously, Violet said, "Queen Cersei, if it pleases you, where is Princess Myrcella and Prince Tommen?"

"They're quiet safe," said Cersei evenly. "But I caught them trying to contact your friends with a cellphone that Myrcella had with her. So I felt it best to . . . restrain them, until we may be safely away from the United Realms."

Joffrey spat, "They betrayed our House!"

"They are young and impressionable," said Cersei dismissively. "But they will learn, in time."

"I have _never_ betrayed you, mother! And I _never_ will!"

"Well do I know this, Joffrey," said Cersei nodding approvingly.

Other than the rush of air from the vents, the hidden room was then quiet. Afraid to speak further, Violet leaned into Henry for support and comfort. But if the silence was uncomfortable for them, it must have been insufferable for Joffrey.

Joffrey gloated, "You do know that you Fairy Tale lot have lost, 'Prince Henry.' "Once we've left the United Realms of Storytelling, and your secret is out; you and yours are done for."

Henry nodded thoughtfully, and replied, "But aren't you worried about what will happen to _you_ and _your_ family, once the people of the Land Without Magic know about us?

"Your mom and da-, er, '_uncle_,' seem to think that you'll all be well-treated. But I'm betting that you'll just end up strapped to a table in a lab at Area 51 right alongside me while the natives run tests on us all.

"And I should know. Though I may be of Fairy Tale _ancestry_, I was born here in this world. So I know how people from the Land Without Magic think.

"If I were your parents, I might just want to reconsider attempting to leave Storybrooke."

But before anyone could reply, the truck lurched, and began moving. Everyone braced themselves as the truck turned sharply when it pulled out of the driveway. Moments later, a voice came over the intercom. "Sorry it took me so long to get here, My Queen.

"I had to pull over as a half-dozen Winterfell Police Cruisers and their SWAT Van were headed westward. They had their lights on, but no sirens. I also saw some Hog Lords riding westward, and fanning out. Otherwise, the roads to the east look fairly clear."

Cersei smiled. "Excellent. Our ruse seems to be working. Do you have any word on checkpoints near the border?"

"Yes, My Queen. We may expect at least two on the road out of town, but we don't anticipate any serious problems. Maester Pycelle managed to get us some authentic looking work orders that will allow us to pass through without too much trouble."

"Very good," said Jaime. "Let us know when we're across the border."

"Yes, Ser Jaime. It should not be long, now . . . ."

Again, the cabin went silent. There was nothing more that Henry and Violet could do but sit tight and hope. Despite Joffrey's cat-that-swallowed-the-canary grin, it wasn't over, yet. And if nothing else, hope was a Fairy Tale specialty.

Besides, Henry knew that his moms were looking for them. And when it came to finding him, their track record was unbroken.

Henry almost felt sorry for the Lannisters . . . .

The small interior of Emma's Bug was cramped as Emma, Regina, David and Mary-Margaret sped for the border to get ready before the Lannisters arrived. As they rode, Commissioner Rivers called them with some welcomed good news. Regina put it on speaker as Emma drove.

"I just got a text from Officer Samwell Tarly," said Commissioner Rivers. "We're tracking Myrcella's cellphone and sent a Raven Drone to investigate. It looks like they're traveling in a truck carrying a load of railroad ties.

"The cabin is small, and we only see the driver, who we've identified as a Lannister Retainer. But if the load of ties was hiding a concealed cabin, there would be more than enough room for everyone to hide."

David said, "It might be a diversion. Cersei may have put the phone in that truck to throw us off."

"That's what we initially thought," acknowledged Commissioner Rivers. "But Officer Tarly says that the truck's suspension doesn't appear to be sitting low enough to be carrying a solid load of heavy railroad ties."

After ending the call, Emma and Regina drove deliberately to the first checkpoint before the truck could get into Storybrooke. Once there, they described the truck, and instructed the sentries to allow it to go through with only a cursory check. Sheriff Swan planned to intercept the Lannisters about halfway between the first checkpoint, and the second.

"I wish that we could set a spike strip on the road to immobilize the truck," said Emma. "But they'd likely spot it."

"I've got my bow with me," said Mary-Margaret.

"That'd be too risky, mom," said Emma. "If you only hit one tire, the truck could go out of control and into a ditch. We'd need to get them all at once!"

"If making all their tires lose air is what you want, Emma," said Regina as a small puff of purple smoke danced around her fingertips, "Then leave that to me, when the time comes . . . .

"Now, let's go rescue our son and his friend!"

Emma smiled in spite of herself. She almost felt sorry for the Lannisters . . . .


	12. A Lioness Cornered

**Chapter 12: A Lioness Cornered**

The Lannisters' truck reached the first checkpoint, and the occupants of the hidden cabin could see and hear their driver speaking with the Fairy Tale sentries on the audio/visual feed:

Offhandedly, the sentry said, "Let me guess. More problems with those retaining walls . . . ?"

"Alas, yes," replied the driver, who proffered the work order for the sentry's inspection.

On the screen, Henry could see the sentry give the document a cursory glance and nodding knowingly before waiving them through.

"Just be on the lookout for anything suspicious," cautioned the sentry before the truck could move. "These High Fantasy types who are holding Our Prince and his friend hostage are said to be _heavily_ armed and _very_ dangerous – to say nothing of being, ah, '_genetically_ predisposed to instability' . . . ."

"Oh, so . . . ?"

"Well, you _know_ what everybody _says_ about the High Fantasy's King and Queen . . . !"

"Do tell?" said the driver with a tincture of defensiveness.

"Oh, _you _know . . . ," continued the sentry with a twinkle in his eye. "What do you get when you cross a Lannister with a Baratheon?"

"The Heir to the Iron Throne of the Seven Kingdoms," replied the driver evenly.

"Well, actually, _nobody_ really knows, for certain," said the sentry with an impolite chuckle. "The way I hear it; it's never actually been _done_!"

"Indeed . . . ?"

Again, the sentry waived the driver through, advising him to expect another checkpoint about a hundred yards before the town line.

When they had gone about a tenth of a mile, the driver said over the intercom, "My Queen, if the second checkpoint is manned by such fools as the first, we should be in the Land Without Magic in less than 20 minutes."

"Excellent, driver," said Cersei. "You DID manage to notice the name on the tag of the insolent sentry responsible for that slanderous jape, I hope . . . ?"

"Yes, My Queen," replied the driver. "So happens we got it all on audio and visual recording, as well."

"Very good," said Cersei. "I think that the Fairy Tale sentry's death by impalement should send an adequate message of the wages of idle gossip to folks of _all_ genres, upon our Triumphant Return." Cersei's comment made Violet betray a gasp, even as it caused Joffrey to giggle. She then added, "You will inform us when we are approaching the second checkpoint."

Cersei then turned her gaze toward Henry and Violet, as Joffrey added a smirk of his own. As for Jaime, his attention was on the nearest monitor, divided to show a forward and rear-angle view; with both showing a clear road, completely free of other vehicles.

Henry had also been watching this monitor, himself, and had to force himself to suppress a smile. The road was not completely empty. There _was_ another vehicle on the road - or more accurately- off to the side of the road.

The yellow VW was parked on the shoulder, apparently abandoned, with its hood up in the universal sign of a broken down vehicle. The fact that nobody sought fit to comment on it gave Henry extra hope that his and Violet's ordeal would soon be coming to an end . . . .

No sooner had Regina, Emma, David and Mary-Margaret gotten themselves into position, Emma's phone rang. Officer Tarly informed them that the Lannisters' truck was less than five minutes away from where they were.

"Commissioner Rivers and DA Targaryen ordered me to document the encounter via Raven Drones," said Officer Tarly as much to warn the Fairy Tales as to inform them. "We understand the need to keep the Realms of Storytelling secret from this world's natives, and the need to rescue Prince Henry and the Lady Violet.

"But the rights and safety of the Lannisters must also be a consideration."

Emma put her phone on speaker, and Regina replied, "We understand. When this is over, we Fairy Tales want the High Fantasy Folk to know that they will be accepted as equals, and not as vassals.

"I want to emphasize that _everything_ possible will be done to treat the Lannisters fairly, and to only use proportionate force to take them into custody. We can't think of any better way to prove our good intentions to your people; though deeds as well as words."

"Perhaps you should say this to Commissioner Rivers and DA Targaryen," replied Officer Tarly. "I'm just a . . . just a 'grunt,' to use the native expression. And if you ask my Brothers on the SWAT Team, ah, the Night's Watch; I'm not even that . . . ."

"But you _are_ a citizen of the High Fantasy Realms," said Regina. "And as such, Our message is directed as you and those you call 'small-folk' as much as it is toward your Nobles."

Mary-Margaret added, "However this ends, We want you to know that We will do everything in Our ability to help you and yours make the adjustment to life in this New World."

"Thank you," said Officer Tarly sincerely.

Emma said, "We'll call the Commissioner and the DA as soon as we're done with our call."

"It might be best if you tell them, in person," said Officer Tarly. "They've informed me that they are on their way, following your "backup" trailing behind the Lannisters. The Commissioner and the DA want to be present when the Lannisters are taken into custody. They're currently watching the drone feed to see when an opportune moment arrives for them to come.

"But be ready. Here come the Lannisters!"

Emma ended the call just in time to see the truck coming around the corner. She then nodded to Regina, who cast a spell that slowly drained the air from the truck's six tires, causing it to slowly roll to a controlled stop. Seconds later, the driver put on his four-way flashers, and exited the cab to determine what happened.

The four Storybrookers tensed. Regina had her magic. Emma had her 9mm automatic. Snow had her longbow. And David had his sword. In fact, following the suggestion of DA Targaryen, he had _two_ swords - and a mutually agreed upon plan that everyone hoped would work to deprive the Lannisters' use of Jaime's fearsome AK-47 when the time came . . . .

The mood inside the concealed cabin was tense. Jaime ordered everyone to sit tight as he switched the monitor screen to check as many angles as possible. "I see no signs of attack. Other than us, the road appears to be empty."

As he did this, Cersei spoke to the driver, who even then was inspecting the truck to see what went wrong. When he reported back, Cersei was incredulous. "All _six_ tires flat?! How could _that_ have happened?"

"I don't know, My Queen," said the driver with genuine puzzlement. "I don't see anything on the road immediately behind us that might have caused this; nor did I see anything as I drove that might have been an impediment laid to ensnare us." A few moments later, the driver added, "We appear to be the only souls on this stretch of road, and I see no side streets from where other vehicles may be hiding in wait.

"I have 'memories' and 'knowledge' that these Land Without Magic carriages and wagons are vulnerable to tires loosing air; though I know of nothing that might cause them to _all_ lose air at once."

As Jaime and Cersei processed what their driver had just said, Joffrey seemed near panic. Henry and Violet just leaned into each other, bracing themselves for whatever came next.

"Very well," said Jaime. "Driver, see if you are able to re-inflate the tires with the truck's air compressor. Start with a front tire, and let Us know if it holds air."

A few moments later, the driver said that the tire was inflating, and he could find no signs of any leakage. Jaime then told him to re-inflate all the other tires. The driver replied that - assuming none of them had any leaks - they should be back on the road within less than half an hour.

As Regina and the others watched the Lannisters' driver working on the tires, Emma called for their prearranged 'backup' to put the second part of their plan into operation. A few moments later, Belle came around the bend in her husband's Cadillac, with two lunch bags in the seat beside her. Gripping the steering wheel with a heady mix of dread and excitement, Belle relished the chance to actually DO something heroic . . . .

By now, the Lannisters' driver had both front tires inflated, and started to work on the four rear ones. Just as he started, Regina recast the spell, and the two front tires slowly began to deflate again, making him cry out in anguish to The Smith for assistance. Almost simultaneously, his phone rang as Ser Jaime called him – but not because he wanted an explanation for the new delay; he had another idea.

"Flag-down that approaching vehicle," commanded Jaime. "There is only one driver – a woman, from the look of it – and that vehicle appears big enough for all of us. It also has a sunroof. While you drive, I'll be able to stand and use my rifle to force our way through any 'checkpoint' manned by those craven Fairy Tales!"

As the Lannisters' driver waved to Belle, she stopped alongside the disabled truck, innocently asking the driver if he required any assistance. But as Belle's attention was focused on the driver, she was startled to hear the mechanical sound of a rifle bolt being cocked near her left ear.

"Leave the keys in the ignition," said Jaime Lannister as he brushed Belle's neck with the cold muzzle of his weapon. "Step out of your car . . . ."

Calmly, Belle did as she was bidden, slowly moving away. She then became aware of four other people coming out of the truck; two of them she immediately recognized.

"Henry," said Belle. "Violet . . . ."

"What are you doing here, Belle?" said Henry, eyes wide with surprise.

"J-just bringing some lunch to the sentries at the checkpoint," said Belle.

At that, Jaime pointed his AK-47 at Belle menacingly, and said, "And how _many_ sentries are there at the last checkpoint, Fairy Tale wench?"

"Lots . . . ," said Belle without hesitation.

"SHE LIES!" Joffrey exclaimed as he looked on the Cadillac's front seat. "She only has _two_ lunch bags with her."

"Only _two_ sentries guarding the way out of Storybrooke . . . ?" said Jaime. "Well, then. I suppose I can spare a bullet or two for _you_!"

But before Jaime could shoot, he heard Prince Charming's voice saying, "If you have any honor, you will drop your weapon, Ser Jaime!"

Jaime turned to see David Nolan, a sword in each hand, standing in front of Regina Mills, Emma Swan, and Mary-Margaret Blanchard. With a derisive laugh, Jaime said, "I believe that this world's natives have a saying. Something about, "Bringing a sword to a _gunfight_ . . . ?" What makes you think that bringing _two_ swords will improve your chances of survival, Fairy Tale?"

"_Knife_, actually," said David, "it's bringing a _knife_ to a gunfight. But that's neither here, nor there . . . .

"Ser Jaime Lannister of the Kingsguard of the Seven Kingdoms; you have taken my grandson, Prince Henry of Storybrooke, and his friend, the Lady Violet Morgan of Camelot, captive. I am here to demand their release.

"And I only need _one_ sword to get it. The other one is for _you_, as it seems the Black Fairy's Dark Curse saw fit to turn your named blade _Oathkeeper_ into a native assault rifle; a most _cowardly_ weapon _unbecoming_ a High Fantasy Noble.

"Both of these swords are of equal quality and workmanship. Chose one, and face me, if you dare, in the _traditional_ manner of both of our Genres."

At this, Jaime lowered his rifle. Incredulously, Cersei spat, "SHOOT THEM ALL!" But after another moment's consideration, Jaime flung his Kalashnikov into the roadside ditch, and then indicated the sword that Charming held in his right hand. Without another word, David tossed the sword to Jaime, who deftly caught it, and brought it to the ready.

"You _fool_!" gasped Cersei. Escape is within our grasp!"

But even as Cersei spoke those words, she followed Jaime's sword, pointing skyward at a watchful drone, hovering overhead. Now Cersei understood that her brother really had no choice but to play by Old Country rules. In this Land Without Magic, not only would there be witnesses, but what transpired would be captured as a video recording for all eternity, _exactly_ as it happened. For that matter, Cersei wouldn't put it past Regina to have ordered that the real-time events be broadcast throughout the United Realms.

_The very way those accursed Fairy Tales entrapped my son at school, yesterday, _thought Cersei_. By the Seven, was that only just yesterday . . . ?_

"Fear not, Sweet Sister," said Jaime confidently, "victory is _still_ within our grasp. The Warrior will grant me strength!" He then turned to David, and added, "In the Old Country, I've slain a _king_. And I've read that _you_ are nothing more than a shepherd Fairy Tale _Pretender_ to Royalty, 'Prince Charming,' and will be no great bother for me to do for you!"

"You know, I bet that's exactly what that _dragon_ I killed thought, too," replied David dryly.

Jamie replied, "When you're done for, 'Charming,' I _demand_ that we be allowed to leave Storybrooke, unmolested!"

"Agreed," said David immediately. "And when _you've_ been beaten, I expect _you_ to release my grandson and his friend, _and_ for the four of you come along, quietly."

"That is easy for me to agree to," said Jaime. "Since it shall not happen . . . .

"Now, lay-on, 'Prince' Charming . . . !"

But before ether swordsman could move, a Winterfell Police Department cruiser pulled up, demanding everyone's attention with a quick burst of siren. When it stopped, Commissioner Brynden Rivers and District Attorney Aemon Targaryen both stepped out, along with their driver, who wore the uniform of a police officer.

"We've been watching and listening on our way over via drone feed," said Commissioner Rivers, indicating the drone hovering overhead. And we are here to represent High Fantasy interests in this matter." He then instructed their driver to recover Jaime's discarded assault rifle, and to secure it in the trunk of the police car . . . as evidence.

DA Targaryen added, "Ser Jaime; Prince Charming; hold steel until We have spoken our piece.

"A challenge was issued by a member of the Fairy Tale Nobility that was accepted by a High Fantasy Noble as a means for resolving the current dispute between our two Genres."

Though steel was being held, Cersei's tongue was another matter. "Ser Jaime The Kingslayer is _MY _Liegeman, Targaryen! He has no authority to either make or accept _any_ challenges on behalf of the Realm, so long as I am present!"

"Just so," allowed DA Targaryen evenly. "However, We High Fantasy Folk are now in _Fairy Tale_ lands, committing numerous Acts of War; including holding Prince Henry of Storybrooke, the Second of His Name, and the Lady Violet Morgan of Camelot, hostage . . . .

"Queen Regina, Princess Snow White, Prince Charming and Princess Emma would be well within their rights to summarily take you all into custody for the crimes you have committed against their Houses; their Realm; and their Genre-"

"YOU _TRICKED_ ME INTO SURRENDERING MY WEAPON!" Exclaimed Jaime.

DA Targaryen continued, "And yet, I have advised them _not_ to do so . . . ."

Commissioner Rivers said, "It is the tradition of both of our genres to allow such matters to be settled through Trial by Combat. Such a trial has been offered by Prince Charming, and was accepted by Ser Jaime Lannister."

Jaime nodded to the drone, and said, "And if I refuse now, I will be seen by all as Craven . . . !"

"Perhaps by Old Country standards," allowed Regina. "But by New World standards, it will only mean an admission that you are in the wrong in this matter, and that you have both the good sense and decency to admit it."

"Nobody will think any less of you if you surrender yourselves," added David. "That's what we in this world call, "The easy way." But if you want to do this, "the hard way;" I'm game . . . ."

Having read "Once Upon A Time," Cersei knew that David's aside about slaying a dragon _wasn't_ idle talk. For that matter, this was not the _only_ dragon the "pretender" had ever faced; having counted coup on no less than dragon-form Maleficent, herself. Though Cersei knew that her Dear Brother's swordsmanship was second to none in the Seven Kingdoms, and had no reason to believe that the Fairy Tales would renege on their promise to release them should Jaime emerge victorious, too much was at stake to be left to Single Combat . . . .

In desperation, Cersei shrieked, "I-I demand a _Trial of Seven_! It is _my_ right!"

Before Regina, or the other Storybrookers could ask, DA Targaryen said, "It _would_ be _your_ right, Queen Cersei – IF _you_ were the aggrieved party in this matter. But it is the Fairy Tales of the Enchanted Forest here who laid claim to that status.

"It was Prince Henry of Storybrooke who was taken hostage by House Lannister; not Prince Joffrey of Westeros by Houses Mills, Swan, and Charming."

Joffrey said, "We _cannot_ expect fairness from a Targaryen, Mother!"

"You think not, Prince Joffrey?" said the Winterfell District Attorney as he raised an eyebrow. "Shall I then have my officers place every Lannister present under arrest?" As if on cue, a Winterfell Police Van then pulled up, and several officers emerged, guns drawn.

"As for my 'fairness' - or lack thereof - where Lannisters are concerned; I _am_ consenting that this challenge shall be allowed to decide the matter, according to 'Old Country' rules, for all to see." Again, DA Targaryen indicated the drone flying overhead, which had been joined in the interim by three more.

"Though the laws of This World would insist that you be taken into custody to face the charges brought against House Lannister, I am willing to accept the judgement of the gods in this matter. May the Seven – and whatever gods you Fairy Tales may pray to - favor the side that has _truly_ been wronged!

"If House Lannister truly believes themselves to be the aggrieved party in this matter, Queen Cersei; then how do you figure I'm being _biased_ against House Lannister by granting you this Old Country option . . . ?"

And Cersei responded with a silence that spoke volumes.

Prince Charming then turned to Ser Jaime, and said grimly, "You heard Mr. Targaryen. The ball's in your court now, Jaime. Do you come along, quietly, or do we throw down . . . ?"

Jaime Lannister answered with an Andal battle cry as he charged the Fairy Tale Prince, and the sound of clashing swords was deafening.

Any thoughts that Ser Jaime Kingslayer may have entertained about the cravenness and softness of Fairy Tales were quickly proved wrong as Prince Charming met Jaime's assault with fierce determination, giving as good – if not better – as he got.

As the Champions of the Fairy Tale and High Fantasy Realms fought on the empty roadway, Regina and Emma made eye contact with their son and Violet, and nodded reassuringly. Both Fairy Tale teens responded with a reassuring nod of their' own.

Regina could see that her son and his friend were uncomfortably bound fast with their hands behind their backs. A quick spell _could_ free them. But Regina also knew that ANY attempt at using magic might be seen as an attempt to interfere with the outcome of the Trial by Combat. For now, the former Evil Queen held her magic in check, taking comfort from the fact that her son and Violet kept their heads held high.

Though still bound tightly by the zip-ties that Joffrey took great pleasure fastening tightly on them, Henry and Violet were filled with the confidence of hope that Prince Charming would win Storybrooke's safety as well as their freedom. But as the battle progressed, Henry realized that the actual definition of 'victory' was left unsaid.

Was it assumed that they would be expected to fight until First Blood, or to Last Breath? Henry could not imagine his grandfather killing Ser Jaime as though he were swatting a mosquito; even though Ser Jaime would undoubtedly kill Prince Charming without the slightest remorse. But would Ser Jaime yield if Prince Charming got him down . . . ?

Before Henry could consider the point further, he got his answer. In a surprisingly smooth move, Prince Charming caught Ser Jaime off balance, causing the High Fantasy Noble to fall on his back, losing his grip on his sword in the process. Immediately, David kicked the dropped sword out of Ser Jaime's reach, and held the point of his own sword to the High Fantasy Nobleman's throat.

"Didn't see that coming, did you?" said David flatly. "Do you _yield_, Ser Jaime?"

Looking Prince Charming straight in the eye, (and mindful of the drone over the Fairy Tale prince's shoulder,) Ser Jaime said, "I . . . yield . . . ."

"A little louder, please, so everyone can hear you," said David firmly, albeit unable to keep all the relief from his voice.

"I YIELD!" replied Jaime. "House Lannister yields to Houses Charming, Swan and Mills!"

But Queen Cersei had other ideas. Firing a pistol into the air to attract everyone's attention, Cersei then wrapped her left arm around Prince Henry's neck, holding her pistol to his temple.

"House Lannister most certainly does NOT yield to _anyone_; especially not to lowborn, Fairy Tale _TRASH_!"

Regina said, "Oh, _SAVE IT_, Cersei! You lost fairly, and _everyone_ saw it! Now, let my son and his friend go, and turn yourselves in!"

"I think not, Regina. My son, Prince Joffrey, and I are _leaving_ Storybrooke, and we shall be taking Prince Henry with us! I swear by The Seven that I'll kill him if anyone tries to follow us!" Cersei then handed the pistol to Joffrey to keep Henry covered. Within seconds, she had commandeered Mr. Gold's Cadillac, and with Joffrey holding Henry at gunpoint in the back seat, she floored the car, heading straight for the town line.


	13. Reality Check

**Chapter 13: Reality Check**

They didn't get too far.

As Cersei sped off, Commissioner Rivers nodded solemnly to Regina. Now free of all restraints, Regina waived her hand, and in a puff of purple smoke, the gun that Prince Joffrey was holding on her son was now in her hands, along with the zip-tie that kept Henry bound. She then handed the gun to Emma, and with puff of purple smoke, she then held the Cadillac's distributor cap.

Gold's stolen Cadillac rolled to an immediate stop, and all present saw Cersei and Joffrey scamper out of the car in panic as they made a break for the woods. But Joffrey only made it as far as the road shoulder before Henry tackled him, yet once more getting the High Fantasy Prince face down in the mud. Joffrey half screamed, half whined, "MOTHER!" But if Cersei heard him, she ignored her son as she kept running headlong into the tree line.

As she ran, not daring to look behind her, Cersei's mind raced. She was less than fifty yards from the town line, but without her son, (much less their hostage,) there would be _nothing_ to stop her pursuers from following hot on her heels. But the High Fantasy queen didn't have the luxury of time for worry, much less planning, as she felt herself tripping on a root that seemed to come out of nowhere. Cersei tried to get up, but found herself being pulled down by other roots that she saw magically emerging from the ground, wrapping around her legs and wrists, holding her fast.

And before she could process the meaning of what had happened, an answer presented itself in the form of Regina Mills appearing before her in a large burst of smoke.

Evenly, Regina said, "Running away was very foolish of you, Cersei." Without another word, the roots that had ensnared Cersei then hauled her up into a standing position, holding her feet just above the ground, facing Regina. "But it's hardly the most foolish thing that you have done over the past 24 hours . . . ."

Cersei spat, "If you are going to do for me, Regina, then be _done_ with it, but spare me any droll, _Fairy Tale_ soliloquy!"

"Oh, don't worry, Cersei," said Regina all too calmly. "I lost my taste for delivering _monologues_ when I gave up being a _villain_ . . . .

"So I'll be mercifully brief, but I _will_ have my say:

"I _won't_ kill you. That's _not_ how things are done in _this_ world. You see, we've _all _worked and fought hard for _our_ Happily Ever Afters. And we'll work and fight even _harder_ to keep from _losing_ all we've gained!

"So, as much as I may _personally_ believe that you really do _deserve_ death for everything you tried to do to us – killing you would put me in danger of darkening my heart; and frankly, you're _not_ worth it!"

"W-what do you mean by that, Regina . . . ?"

Allowing herself a thin smile, Regina said, "Well, I _had_ only planned to just _hold_ you here until Emma could arrive with a pair of handcuffs. But since you _asked_ . . . ."

Regina thrust her hand into Cersei's chest and quickly withdrew her heart, causing Cersei to wince in pain. Then, holding the glowing heart in front of Cersei's face, Regina was about to elucidate, only to be stunned into silence when she got a good look at the heart of her adversary.

Then Emma ran up, and said, "Regina! I came as quickly as I could! We've got Jaime and Joffrey in custody, and . . . . ." Emma gasped when she saw the heart in Regina's hand, and with a touch of awe, said, "Oh, well . . . . _T-that's_ . . . _unusual_ . . . ."

"Yes, Emma," said Regina softly. "I've never seen _anything_ like this either, until now . . . ."

During her time as the Evil Queen, Regina had taken countless hearts for her collection. Most of these hearts glowed bright red, with only a slight trace of darkness deeply within. Regina had also seen the opposite; hearts that were mostly smoky black with a small amount of red glowing from inside, struggling to get out. Her own heart and the heart of the Dark One were once very much like this only a few short years, ago.

But the heart belonging to Queen Cersei Lannister shone with a pure, clear light in her hand, without the slightest trace of either red light or black smoke.

Regina was unprepared for the appearance of the heart she now held. More experimentally than out of malice, Regina gave the heart a light squeeze, causing Cersei to grimace. At the sight of this, Regina immediately eased up on her grip. Oh, Regina had no doubt that if she crushed the heart in her hand, Cersei Lannister _would_ die . . . .

But as much as Regina knew that, and however much Cersei richly deserved death for attempting to take-over Storybrooke, threatening to expose their hidden community to this world's natives, _and_ for placing Henry and Violet in danger; she also knew that to summarily execute the High Fantasy Queen would risk darkening her own heart in the process.

Regina realized that as much as Cersei Lannister was incapable of doing any real 'good,' she was also just as incapable of doing any actual 'evil' . . . .

"What does it mean, Regina?" said Emma.

"Well," replied Regina evenly. "Naturally, we'll need a _formal_ diagnosis from Dr. Hopper to be absolutely certain. But offhand, I'd say this means that we're literally dealing with an honest-to-goodness psychopath . . . ."

Regina then turned to Cersei, and added, "One day, I _might_ be able to forgive you for putting my son and his friend – indeed, all of Storybrooke and the United Realms – in danger. But that will have to wait until - and if _ever_ \- you are _truly_ able to appreciate the consequences of your actions.

"For now, I'm truly sorry that I hated you for being something that was beyond your control. You have my word that We will do everything in Our power to help you."

Insulted, Cersei declared, "I neither require nor _want_ your Fairy Tale pity, Regina."

"But you shall have it," said Regina softly. "Though if it's any consolation, until a few moments ago, I never would have imagined that I'd be offering it to you . . . ."

When Regina and Emma brought Cersei back to the others, David was preparing to assist a handcuffed Jaime Lannister into the back of the sheriff's car. Standing with him were Commissioner Rivers, DA Targaryen, and Henry and Violet.

Joffrey was already handcuffed, sitting inside the car, and was screaming at the top of his lungs, demanding that as Heir to the Iron Throne, that he should be released, immediately. Joffrey then began cursing the Fairy Tales and accused the High Fantasy authorities of "treason and cravenness." But everyone ignored the boy as David closed the door of the car so they could hear what Regina and Emma had to say.

When the Regina and Emma had finished, David said, "I guess that explains a lot." He then asked Mr. Gold to come over and join the conversation. The former Dark One was comforting his wife near a Winterfell Police Department Van, and not wanting to leave Belle alone so soon after her recent ordeal, brought her over with him.

After Regina described Cersei's heart, Mr. Gold said, "Well, that's as may be, Regina. But as for Ser Jaime, his own heart more resembles _our_ hearts as they appeared a few years earlier: Dark, but with a small amount of light yet glowing from within."

"Wait," said Emma. "How do you _know_ this?"

Unabashedly, Rumple said, "Well, Dearie, Mr. Lannister here _did_ threaten my _wife_ with his machine gun . . . ." When everyone looked askance at Rumple, he quickly added, "Oh, never fear, I wasn't actually going to _crush_ it. But I did want to make a . . . _impression_ on him . . . .

"And for good or ill, we _were_ able to learn something _useful_, here; namely that Ser Jaime has his own darkness to contend with, but that he may yet one day find his own . . . redemption. And we have the obligation to assist him with this endeavor any way possible.

"Though from what you just told me about Cersei, I'm not so sure about her." Rumple then nodded to the Sheriff's Car, and said, "Say, does anyone hear an annoying, _whining_ sound coming from within the Sheriff's Car . . . ?

"Now, Charming, please don't tell me that you're forcing poor Prince Joffrey to listen to a Taylor Swift or Adele CD while he waits . . . ."

"No, that 'whining' would be all Prince Joffrey," said David with an exaggerated eye-roll. "I _did_ advise him of his right to remain silent, but so far, he's been anything but . . . ."

Rumple nodded. "Then kindly permit me to kill two birds with one stone."

Before anyone could comment, Rumple went to the other side of the Sheriff's car, and opened the door, promptly taking Prince Joffrey's heart, and saying into it, "Will you _please _be quiet until we may get you to the Sheriff's Station, _Dearie_." Immediately, Joffrey's caterwauling ended. Rumple then held up a crystal-clear heart without any trace of black smoke or red light for all to see before returning it to Joffrey's chest.

Henry said, "G-Grandpa . . . ."

"Well, Prince Joffrey also held _you_ and your Lady Friend here at _gunpoint_, even as his uncle – dad – _whatever_, just did to Belle!"

"I suppose that Dr. Hopper should also evaluate Prince Joffrey, as well," said Regina dryly. It would only be fair."

David then opened the car door for Jaime, who said, "You fought well, Prince Charming."

"Uh, huh," said David dryly. "You mean, for a 'Fairy Tale _Pretender_,' I suppose . . . ."

"NO!" said Jaime firmly. "I meant that YOU – _Prince_ Charming of the Enchanted Forest – fought _chivalrously_, and WELL!

"Please accept my apology on behalf of my sister for her discourteous behavior, unbecoming a Queen of High Fantasy. The day is yours . . . ."

Fuming, and with no trace of remorse whatsoever, Cersei wouldn't even look at her brother.

After Ser Jaime and Prince Charming exchanged a respectful nod, Ser Jaime Lannister the Kingslayer summoned up as much dignity as he could, and then ducked his head to slide into the back seat of the Storybrooke Sheriff's Car, sitting next to his now quiet nephew/son.

Moments later, Cersei was led to a Winterfell Police Van. District Attorney Aemon Targaryen said, "Since your crimes occurred in Storybrooke, Ms. Lannister; we'll be taking you there for booking.

"Now, under the customs of this new land, it is my duty to inform you that you have the right to remain silent, and –"

"I AM YOUR _QUEEN_!" Cersei interrupted. "Any so-called 'charges' - against either myself, or my House - are _nothing_ more than a naked _power-grab_; likely contrived by YOU, _Targaryen_!

"And I'll not suffer _any_ mockery of a trial!"

"That's not up to me, _Ms._ Lannister," replied DA Targaryen. "I've spoken with Mayor Mills, and she says that your competency to stand trial has been called into question."

"Then _why_ am I being taken into custody?"

DA Targaryen said, "In addition to your part in the kidnapping of Henry Mills and Violet Morgan; your fitness as a _parent_ has also been called into question.

"I've just been informed that your two younger children, Myrcella and Tommen Baratheon, have been found, and they had quite a story to tell of how you imprisoned them within a fortified bunker, essentially abandoning them.

"It might interest you to know that they are being taken directly to Storybrooke General Hospital, where they shall receive a most _thorough_ medical examination that will include a paternity test, as well as a full DNA sequencing . . . .

"If the Old Country rumors are true, needless to say, _those_ results should prove to be most . . . _interesting_."

"YOU CAN'T DO THAT!" Cersei exclaimed. "My children will be in mortal _danger_ if King Robert thinks that-"

"Ki- _Mayor_ Robert Baratheon _already_ suspects that his children are not 'his' in the _biological_ sense," said DA Targaryen. "And he has informed me that it is his intention to NOT blame his children for the sins of their mother and of their . . . 'uncle' . . . .

"He has assured me that he will not love them any less, no matter the results of the tests. And let _me_ assure _you_ that Mayor Baratheon has every intention of abiding by the rules and traditions of this New Land.

"More to the point, as Royal Lineages mean "zip" – to use the native expression - in this part of the Land Without Magic; Mayor Baratheon's _only_ concern is the _physical_ and _emotional_ health of his children – considering their likely biological parentage.

"It is my own intention to grant Mayor Baratheon's request for custody of Joffrey, Myrcella, and Tommen."

A little too eagerly, Cersei said, "Then _Joffrey_ is to be released into his custody?"

"Alas, Joffrey shall be taken into custody for his own role in the kidnapping of Henry and Violet, and his ultimate legal status has yet to be determined. That said; it is Mayor Baratheon's intention to also formally recognize and support his eldest son in any way possible."

"I DEMAND TO SPEAK TO MY HUSBAND!" Cersei shrieked. "I AM _STILL_ YOUR QUEEN!"

"Ah, well, I should also inform you that - needless to say - Mayor Robert Baratheon wants nothing more to do with you, and has formally filed for _divorce_. He also intends to sue House Lannister for everything from fraud to alienation of affection, and between you and me, his case is _very_ strong.

"As for you being "our queen;" Mayor Baratheon is currently our leader. But as he was only 'elected' our leader thanks to the Red Woman's Dark Curse, he intends to call for general elections as soon as possible.

"He wants to do right by Our People. But he has expressed a desire to concentrate on his family as much as possible."

"You _FOOL_!" spat Cersei. "How will the Seven Kingdoms be ruled then without the Nobility, much less the Monarchy!"

"Ironically, in the manner that the Red Woman's Dark Curse made us predisposed to expect in this world: As an Elected, Democratic Representative Republic."

Cersei could not help but laugh. "Do you _really_ think that the Westerosi Nobility will surrender their privilege so meekly, and allow this _farce_ to happen? You may rest assured that they shall fight your alien, unnatural _treasonous_ ideas with the fury of a pack of ravenous direwolves!"

"So long as they do it _legally_, they are most welcome to try," said DA Targaryen dryly. Without another word, Cersei stepped into the Police van.

When everyone reconvened at Storybrooke Town Hall, the mood was guardedly festive. But there was little time for any actual celebration. While Henry and Violet were welcomed back with much relief and joy, the main task was to set up a televised press conference where Mayor Robert Baratheon and Mayor Regina Mills would address the citizens of Storybrooke, Winterfell, and the other lands of the United Realms of Storytelling, regarding the many opportunities, challenges and tasks that they would all face, together.

Shortly before the conference began, Myrcella and Tommen were brought to the Town Hall by Dr. Whale for a private conversation with Mayor Baratheon. Dr. Whale assured them that he would be keeping an eye out for any "anomalies" that might need further treatment, but otherwise pronounced them to be in reasonably good health. Though the two children had been somewhat reserved throughout the ordeal, they immediately brightened when their father took them in his arms for a big, welcoming hug. Myrcella and Tommen then joined Henry, Violet, and the other children in the smaller conference room.

While the adults got on with the serious business of local politics, the children enjoyed an impromptu meet and greet in the smaller conference room over chocolate milk, lemonade, and fresh, hot cookies that just kept coming and coming. No sooner had one tray been brought from the Town Hall kitchen, it was soon emptied. But even though the kids and teens had a voracious appetite when it came to baked treats, Granny suspected another motive.

"Here's a fresh batch," said Daenerys smiling, "just from the oven!" And the kids' attention was not just on the cookies, but on the fact that the High Fantasy Princess and new mother _wasn't_ using oven mitts to handle the searing hot cookie sheets.

"That is so . . . _fascinating_!" said Paige Hatter as she took a fresh chocolate chip cookie and immediately dunked it into her glass of chocolate milk to cool it down. "And it doesn't hurt you, at all . . . ?"

Daenerys smiled and shrugged. "The heat doesn't bother me."

Henry smiled. "It's too bad that you got here after Princess Elsa of Arendelle left. I think you'd have liked her. She was the same way with cold!"

As Daenerys turned to go back to the kitchen, she was surprised when Drogo came from behind and gave her a big hug and kiss, followed up with an almost comic yelp when he touched the still hot cookie sheet.

"Moon of my Life, you know I love you. But I gotta say it: That bit with those hot trays really freaks me and the boys out!"

"Well, you didn't seem to mind when I was able to reattach your bike's hot muffler when it came loose," Dany pointed out.

Drogo smiled, and then turned to Henry. "Little man, I can't thank you enough! You: I like! When I think of how bad things could have turned out if we stayed back in the Old Country, I get nightmares that would scare the boogieman, himself!

"When you get a bit older, I wanna thank you _properly_ by teaching you how to ride a bike, real _badass_ like . . . !" The happy couple then went together to check up on newborn Rhaego, who was sleeping soundly, in spite of all the noise being made by the other kids. They then went to join the other adults watching the press conference.

"I hope that it won't be too boring, My Sun and Stars," said Dany wistfully.

"Really, I just want to go to see if your bro is there. I kinda think that I owe him an apology."

"Well," said Dany, "you _only_ knocked a bunch of teeth out of his mouth, in this world. And a mouth full of gold is better than a head covered in gold . . . ."

But after a quick scan of the conference room, they could see no signs of Dany's brother, Viserion. For that matter, Dany noticed the conspicuous absence of many more Expat Westerosi Nobles, and couldn't say whether or not this was good or bad. For the moment, Dany decided to think positive as she concentrated on what was being discussed. And while these absences were a cause for some concern, had Daenerys been more familiar with the faces of their Fairy Tale hosts; she would have realized that not all of them were present at the conference, either . . . .

Shortly after the border checkpoints were dismantled, two cars quietly drove to the Town Line, stopping before they could cross. In any event, only the first vehicle, a late model, blue Chevy Impala, would be making the crossing. The other, Mr. Gold's Cadillac, would be returning to Storybrooke.

After stopping, Tyrion Lannister and Shae got out of the Impala, and met Mr. Gold and Belle halfway. Tyrion said, "I told you that a Lannister always paid their debts." Tyrion nodded back at the car Mr. Gold and Belle had given them, the trunk laden with clothes, supplies, and other things that they would need outside of Storybrooke and the United Realms.

"A Chevy _Impala_," said Tyrion. "An _interesting_ choice of cars . . . ."

"Oh, aye," said Rumple. "If nothing else, you can't spell "Impala" without . . . "_Imp_" . . . . And Mr. Tillman personally guarantees its reliability.

"In any event, I trust that my end of the agreement meets your satisfaction?"

Tyrion nodded. "It's not the same as my old Tesla, but it will be far less conspicuous, as well as easier to refuel as we go. Besides, according to my 'cursed' memories; I've driven gasoline cars for much longer than an electric, and I'm no stranger to them."

"Where will you two go?" said Belle.

Shae responded, "For now, we'd just like to explore our new world for a while, before we decide to settle down."

"And we will settle down, eventually," said Tyrion, thinking, _No, OUR story will NOT happen the way it would have in the Old Country . . . ._

"But we definitely can't remain here. Our agreement notwithstanding, my life _and_ Shae's would be in constant danger. If nothing else, my father Tywin will want me dead for what I _might_ have done to him, had we not been 'cursed' and brought to This World."

"Well," said Rumple seriously, "Our agreement IS withstanding, Dearie, and the United Realms are _only_ big enough for ONE resident Imp . . . ."

Belle gave her husband a cautioning look, and added, "Please don't hesitate to contact us if you two need anything. And do try to stay out of the natives' way."

"No fear," said Tyrion. "The last thing we want is for us to end up on a native scientists' examination table."

After a few more pleasantries, Tyrion and Shae drove over the Town Line, literally watching Storybrooke disappear in the rear view mirror as they drove away.


	14. Three Months Later

**Chapter 14: Three Months Later**

Tywin Lannister was furious, though truth be told, he had _been_ in a state of constant fury ever since he awakened in this strange, perverse Land Without Magic.

For the past three months, Tywin's twin son and daughter _and_ his eldest grandson, were being "kept" at Storybrooke General Hospital for what the 'gone-native' Fairy Tales euphemistically called, "observation and evaluation."

His two younger grandchildren fared little better, and despite having no blood lineage to 'Mayor' Robert Baratheon, Myrcella and Tommen were immediately remanded into his custody by the Fairy Tale authorities. All efforts by Maester Pycelle to have that preposterous arrangement nullified were summarily turned down as not being, ". . . in the "best interests" of the children." Worse, in addition to filing for divorce from Cersei; 'Mayor' Baratheon _also_ named House Lannister in a separate Civil Lawsuit that could end up costing the Lannisters dearly.

And after reviewing the relevant case law, Maester Pycelle was not optimistic about the possible outcome. _Soon, the famous saying might well be, 'As _poor_ as a Lannister . . . .'_

Adding insult to injury, the former King of the Seven Kingdoms had just been elected – _Elected!_ – by the small-folk as the now official 'Mayor' of their Expatriate High Fantasy community! Was there NO end to this world's perversity?!

Then there was the matter of Tyrion . . . .

What was _his_ role in the current woes facing House Lannister, and where were that Imp and his pet whore hiding? Though Tywin had put out the word (with the promise of a VERY substantial reward,) that Tyrion was to be located, so far all searches had proven fruitless.

Where WAS he . . . ?

Before Tywin could continue his inner tirade, a servant escorted Petyr Baelish into Tywin's living room. The patriarch of House Lannister welcomed him with one word: "Well . . . ?"

Petyr shrugged. "Still no word of the whereabouts of your missing son, My Lord . . . ." Tywin nodded, pleased that Baelish used the traditional honorific. Petyr continued, "Storybrooke, Winterfell, and the rest of the Realms of Storytelling that make up the United Realms are larger than they appear to be at first glance.

"Still, they are not infinite, and your son isn't exactly inconspicuous in a large crowd – nor is his lady friend either, for that matter. I do have eyes and ears all over, albeit not as extensively as I had back in the Old Country. But it is only a matter of time before Tyrion will be . . . located."

Tywin snorted. "If he even _remains_ within the United Realms, you mean."

"My Lord, your son would be a fool to venture beyond the United Realms for the Land Without Magic, and he knows it all too well. Your son may be many things, but nobody has ever accused him of being foolish."

"Oh, he's done foolish things in the past, Baelish," said Tywin with a weary sigh. "Foolishly _desperate_ things, even – and he has yet survived them.

"But I think that you are right to concentrate your search within the United Realms, at least for now. Continue your current search, but be discrete. We wouldn't want to scare Tyrion into doing anything _desperate_ . . . .

"Now, onto other matters . . . ." Tywin then poured himself and Baelish a glass of Jack Daniels, and bade him to sit as they continued their conversation. Though the native drink was not bad, Tywin couldn't help but wonder what it had been before the Red Woman's Dark Curse 'remade' it. After taking a sip, Tywin continued, "Now, how are you faring at finding us _allies_ for our cause?"

Baelish's face was unreadable as he sipped the native drink. He then shook his head, and replied, "Not as well as I had suspected I would . . . .

"The problem is that this world offers so much - for Nobles and small-folk, alike - to make any effort to return to the Old Ways a difficult proposition – what the natives here would call, "a hard sell – now that even the poorest of the former small-folk live better than kings . . . ."

"I doubt very much that many Noble Houses will appreciate their loss of privilege. What of them? Will any come to our side?"

"Well, I attempted to approach Stannis Baratheon, first."

"And?"

"And he expresses no interest in a return to the Old Ways."

"What did those Fairy Tales do to buy him off?" said Tywin gruffly. "Whatever it is, I'll _double_ it, nay, _triple_ it!"

Baelish took another sip of his drink, and said, "Stannis was won over by the people at Storybrooke General Hospital. So happens they have a very good dermatology and reconstructive surgery department there, and Stannis has made appointments for Shireen to see both."

"BAH!" snapped Tywin. "Well, then, how about Lord Varys? Surely Regina Mills and Mr. Gold will not be able to turn him! The Spider's hatred of _mages_ is too well known!"

"Alas," Baelish sighed. "It also so happens that Mr. Gold was able to use his magic to "restore" a certain, shall we say . . . _item_ . . . that Lord Varys had long thought lost and irretrievable . . . ."

"May The Stranger take them _all_!" swore Tywin. "Anything else . . . ?"

"It would also seem that Lord Varys has begun _courting_ Regina Mills' half-sister, Zelena. I think it's safe to say that The Spider has overcome his fear and loathing of mages, My Lord."

In near desperation, Tywin then enquired about Ramsay Bolton.

"He was arrested on a variety of charges not two days ago, in Storybrooke," said Baelish. "Frankly, I'm surprised that he made it _this_ long."

Tywin slumped in his chair. "Please tell me that you at least have _some_ good news, Baelish."

"As a matter of fact, I think that I _do_ . . . ." Petyr Baelish took out his iPhone and pulled up a picture of a man with closely-cropped hair and an inscrutable expression for Tywin's perusal. The man in the portrait wore clothes that would not have been too out of place in the Seven Kingdoms, and Tywin noted with some interest that the portrait was a normal painting, and not a photograph.

Baelish continued, "This man is Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli. He was a philosopher native to this world, but he would have taken to the courts of Westeros as a fish to water.

"In the Land Without Magic, he was most famously known for a political treatise he wrote titled, "_Il Principe;_" which in this world's classical language analogous to our Old Valyrian means, "The Prince." I would have liked to have met him, though most likely, were we contemporaries, one of us would have eventually done for the other . . . ."

Tywin nodded, handing Baelish's iPhone back to him. "And you believe that reading this Machiavelli's writings will offer you some insight into the way politics work in this world?"

"Oh, his observations still hold relevance, today," said Baelish nodding. "But mostly, studying Machiavelli has pointed me in the right direction for applying power politics in the modern, Land Without Magic, upon which Storybrooke seems to have modeled itself after."

Baelish then pulled up another picture on his iPhone, handing it back to Tywin. This was a photograph, and showed three young men in more contemporary business suits, albeit suits that Tywin recognized to be an older style than what would currently be worn.

Baelish said, "These three men; Paul Manafort, Roger Stone, and Lee Atwater, are the 21st Century heirs to Machiavelli. These men, and others like them, are quite observant and insightful, and have developed modern techniques for consolidating and holding onto power that I have been studying, and have found to be very . . . enlightening . . . .

"I believe that their techniques and observations will prove useful, if we are to play the Game of Thrones by the 'rules' of this new land.

"Now, we _won't_ be able to copy these techniques _exactly_, My Lord. Because each one of the United Realms is largely a self-contained community; nobody will feel threatened by 'economic competition' from anyone of another genre. But as our many genres _do _have different core values; we may be able to work with that to sow the division, mistrust and fear that we will need to exploit in pursuit of our long-term objectives . . . ."

Tywin nodded thoughtfully, and said. "This is all well and good, Baelish. But it sounds like it will take you some _time_ to develop and apply these . . . innovations. And from what Maester Pycelle has informed me, House Lannister may not _have_ the luxury of time, if we are to avoid destitution."

Baelish smiled. "No fear, My Lord. Before House Baratheon may lay claim to your wealth and resources, they needs must win in court, first."

"But Pycelle –"

"Maester Pycelle has not fully 'awakened,' yet. When he does, and gets his bearings, I have no doubt that he will be able to retaliate effectively by '_weaponizing_' the rules of what this world's benighted natives refer to as 'Due Process;' thus paying House Baratheon and those accursed Fairy Tale allies of theirs back in their own coin . . . and with interest . . . .

"Trust me, My Lord; once Pycelle has fully 'awakened,' his implanted legal knowledge will allow him to give as good as he gets. I doubt very much that House Baratheon will be seeing so much as one Lannister gold drag-, er, _dollar_, anytime in the foreseeable future.

"And in the meantime, we shall consolidate our power prior to taking action against the Fairy Tales and their High Fantasy collaborators . . . ."

For the first time since 'awakening,' Tywin Lannister allowed himself to smile.

Now, if only he could find Tyrion . . . .

Though the town of Storybrooke had been created by the Dark Curse with a Sheriff Station equipped with temporary jail cells, the same Dark Curse did not see fit to include an actual Penitentiary to keep truly dangerous people for extended periods of time. While this arrangement was mostly practical for the largely affable and law-abiding Enchanted Forest Expats, the omission was sorely felt on those occasions where the need arose.

And for better or worse, this de facto role of containing people who were a danger to the community at large was taken by the Psychiatric Ward and Sanitarium located in the basement of Storybrooke General Hospital.

Since the creation of Storybrooke, the Psych Ward was used to unjustly imprison Belle and later, Sidney Glass. But it was also used to 'contain' Zelena, Mr. Hyde, and even Land Without Magic native and Author, Isaac Heller. Though for a variety of reasons, their stays were relatively short.

By far, the longest 'occupant' is Storybrooke's former District Attorney Albert Spencer, nee King George of the Enchanted Forest. And while the infamous Nurse Ratched had been able to keep the former Fairy Tale King in line up to now, she and her staff suddenly found themselves saddled with Jaime and Cersei Lannister, and the infamous "Boy King" Joffrey Baratheon.

When the Lannisters first arrived, "Queen" Cersei immediately attempted to intimidate Nurse Ratched, but the severe woman wasn't having ANY of it.

"I demand that you release us immediately, you craven Fairy Tale!" Cersei stated.

"You three are here because of your proven inability to adjust to society," countered Nurse Ratched dryly as the rest of her staff held back nervously. "And FYI; _I'm_ not a 'Fairy Tale' . . . .

"_I'm_ from an allegorical / countercultural / protest genre, and _you'll _get in my face at your own risk!" She then rounded to the other nurses, adding, "And I don't want ANY of you to give these clowns ANY special treatment because they're 'nobles.' You answer to ME; not THEM!"

"One day, you'll pay _dearly_ for your insolence, Miss Allegorical / Countercultural / Protest," hissed Cersei.

"Just SO!" added Joffrey. "Do you want me to do for her, mother . . . ?"

Nurse Ratched smiled back at Cersei, nodding to the nearby tray of syringes loaded with tranquilizer on the counter of the nurses' station, and replied, "You can _try_ to collect your 'payment,' _Ms_. Lannister. But I'm _not_ afraid to tranq _any_ psycho, High Fantasy _bitch_ who gives me any trouble!"

Joffrey blurted, "You _dare_ to speak with such insolence to my Lady Mother?!"

"What makes you think I was talking about your _mom_, kid . . . ?" said Ratched dryly. Cowed, for the moment, the Lannisters then went quietly into their individual cells.

But that was three months ago. Since then, several more High Fantasy Expats who were finding 'adjustment' difficult began joining the Lannisters in the basement of Storybrooke General for "observation and evaluation."

Though most of the High Fantasy people who were having 'adjustment issues' were being held at the prison in Winterfell, (such as the Clegane Brothers,) any High Fantasy folk arrested in Storybrooke had to be held, there. And their latest 'patient' - some jerkwad in a class-by-himself named "Ramsay Bolton" - was NOT a "happy camper" by any means. (Though it did make Nurse Ratched's day whenever she had to tranq him . . . .)

Because of this, there was serious talk about moving the Psychiatric Ward and Sanitarium into a new, purpose-built, structure. Some discussions along those lines even planned to officially name said structure the "Storybrooke Penitentiary;" abandoning any and all pretense. But until then, Nurse Ratched and her staff would have their hands full.

In the meantime, the Psychiatric Staff would be augmented by volunteers who would assist with mundane tasks to take some of the load off of Nurse Ratched's crew; who were mainly responsible for security.

One security protocol was to have the individual patients / inmates eat at different times. Though these volunteers were chosen for their ability to handle themselves in tense situations, they were also there to provide "human contact" for those it was deemed would benefit from socialization.

Though Jaime Lannister, (the largely non-Fairy Tale staff would NOT address him as "Ser," much less Cersei or Joffrey by their preferred honorifics,) had his legs bound to the chair in the dining area, and a table separated him from the volunteer who would eat with him; the ability to socialize was a privileged that Jaime looked forward to. Even Dr. Hopper agreed this was in his best interests. And of all the new volunteers, Nurse Ratched could see that this young woman – who made Ronda Rousey look like Paris Hilton - was _nobody_ you'd want to mess with.

But Jaime smiled pleasantly when the door opened and Miss Tarth – the Girls' Gym Coach at West Rose High School - came in carrying two trays of food. Though the food was undoubtedly bland, at least it would be hot, and the company most welcome.

When Miss Tarth took her seat, smiling back at Jaime, he said, "Good evening, Brienne . . . ."

Henry, Violet, Nicholas, Ava and Paige all met at Granny's Diner for an after school snack, and were excited to get a text from Myrcella that she and the Stark Sisters would be joining them within the hour. Nicholas "Hansel" Zimmer was the most excited when he heard this, and ran an idea by the rest of them, asking his sister Ava for her opinion. Unfortunately, it was not the answer he'd hoped to hear . . . .

"Well . . . ," said Ava cautiously. "I think that it's kind of . . . well, _tacky_, to ask Sansa out so soon after she broke-up with Joffrey, Nicholas . . . ."

"What do you mean, "so soon after," sis?" said Nicholas. "It's been a while, hasn't it?" Nicholas silently canvased the others, and though Henry offered him a noncommittal shrug, he was even more crestfallen when Paige and Violet both nodded in agreement with his sister.

Seeing the confused look on Nicholas' face, Ava sighed wearily, and broke it down for her brother: "Sansa just came out of a _very_ bad, _abusive_ relationship. These things take time to get over. Her former 'boyfriend' was just locked-up a few months, ago."

"Three months, one week and four days," replied Nicholas. "Seems like a lot of time to me, doesn't it, Henry?" Again, all Henry could do was shrug.

And again, Ava sighed. She loved her brother, but there were times when he could be so clueless; especially when it came to girls. "A better idea would be to just _talk_ with her when they come over. Let her see what kind of a nice guy you really are. Just take my advice and take things slow with Sansa, for now." This time, Henry nodded in agreement, along with Violet and Paige.

Now Nicholas sighed. "But if I don't make _my_ move, now; some _other_ guy might!"

"And mark my words," said Ava, "That guy will just get _left-swiped_ quicker than you can say; "Winter is Coming!"

"Speaking of which," said Paige when she saw Sansa, Arya and Myrcella coming through the door. Henry then motioned for them to join the rest at the table, but Sansa pointed to the Juke Box, where she and Arya wanted to stop first.

Neither Stark Sister knew if it was the Red Woman's Dark Curse that predisposed them, or if it came all on its own, but both sisters – who on the surface seemed to have little in common – had become big fans of popular native singer Taylor Swift.

Of course, while Sansa liked songs like "Teardrops on My Guitar," "Enchanted," and "Out of the Woods;" Arya went more for Taylor's catalog of "Tell-Off" and 'revenge' songs, like "Picture to Burn," "Bad Blood," and her latest favorite, "Look What You Made Me Do."

And as usual, Arya got first choice as "Look What You Made Me Do" started even before the three High Fantasy girls got to the table. After greetings were exchanged, Sansa said, "This has to be the _twentieth_ time today you've played that song, sis!"

Arya shrugged. "There's just _something_ about Tay Tay singing about 'making a list' of enemies that _really_ appeals to me . . . ."

This time, _all_ the Storybrooke teens shrugged noncommittedly. Though Henry and the others had all crash-read "A Song of Ice and Fire" over the past few months, it was unsure how much their High Fantasy counterparts had actually read, themselves. In addition, the proverbial elephant in the room was that if the accuracy of Land Without Magic books with regards to the Enchanted Forest was so far off; then how could anyone be sure that the 'history' of Westeros was any more valid?

And at any rate, it would be very impolite to tell someone of another genre their own "history."

Besides, after everything that had happened since the High Fantasy Expats 'awakened,' it was refreshing to be able to concentrate on the mundane business of high school, for a change; even if their 'unusual background' was never too far from anyone's mind.

"This world is so _amazing_," said Sansa, "especially now that I have memories to compare it to!"

"What do you find the most fascinating, Sansa?" said Violet, whose own background and early life in Camelot was not too different from that of the Stark Sisters and Myrcella.

"Let me guess," said Nicholas, eager to join the conversation. "Computers? Cars? HVAC . . . ?"

"Well, _those_ things are nice," said Sansa wistfully. "But I was thinking more along the lines of the _opportunities_ available to us in this world; especially for us girls!"

"You got that right!" said Arya. "I'm thinking about becoming a fighter pilot, or a policewoman, or - or maybe even the next MMA Champion!"

"The point is," continued Sansa, "that here, all _kinds_ of choices are open to us! I don't _have_ to marry some Lord or Knight twice my age for dynastic purposes, or be a Lady-in-Waiting."

"I'm thinking I'd like to become a doctor," said Myrcella, who then rolled her eyes, and added, "If nothing else, I may need the Professional Courtesy to get basic treatment. If some health insurance provider does a DNA test on me and my brother; I'd hate to think of what OUR monthly premiums would be . . . ."

After everyone nodded in sympathy to Myrcella's statement, Sansa continued, "I'm thinking that I'd like to become a teacher, or a lawyer, or a _scientist_! Maybe I'll even start my own business . . . !"

As the girls talked, Henry and Nicholas excused themselves, and went off to the side to give the girls some space. Once out of earshot, (and using Taylor's whining about some guy she dumped on the juke box for additional cover,) Nicholas said, "Looks like we're _both_ going stag, tonight, Henry. But I gotta say that I _really_ envy what you and Violet have!

"I was kind of hoping that I could do what you did, and become _Sansa's_ 'special' friend and guide, and help her acclimate better to this world. But I guess the Black Fairy's curse already took care of that part, huh . . . ?"

Henry nodded. Though he had not thought about it that way before, Nicholas had a _very_ good point. When Violet first came to Storybrooke from Camelot, _everything_ was so new and strange, and there was Henry coming to the aid of the "damsel in distress" to help her adjust. Lately, they had spent a lot of time together to the extent that they were a 'couple' at school. But other than that, Henry began to wonder just what else he and Violet Morgan _really_ had in common?

Sure, Henry and Violet _cared_ for each other. She was, and always would be, his First Love, and he was, and always would be, hers. But the longer Violet was in Storybrooke and the Land Without Magic, the less she actually _needed_ Henry's support and guidance.

It may have been nothing, but Henry couldn't help but notice that Violet was following the general conversation with the High Fantasy Expat girls with great interest.

"So, what do you think we should do now, Henry?" said Nicholas.

"Take things as they come," said Henry wistfully. "One day at a time . . . .

"But we can't complain. At least, Storybrooke and the United Realms are safe from being discovered."

And over the juke box, Taylor Swift balefully sang, "Are you _ready_ for it . . . ?"

Tyrion's and Shae's apartment at the Cheyenne Mountain Air Force Station was small and clean, but far from luxurious. Though they had a living room that they rarely used, a bathroom they used when needed, and a bedroom that they used all too often, (after being assured by their 'hosts' that they were NOT being observed there,) the lack of a kitchen made it seem less of a "home."

They did have a dining table, but their meals were either brought to them, or they ate with the others on the base in secure dining rooms. Tonight, however, after six months of medical tests and interviews, (that stopped just short of experiments and interrogations,) dinner would be a more formal affair with General Hammond, Col. O'Neill and Dr. Daniel Jackson, as well as other members of the Land Without Magic organization called "Stargate Command."

When they arrived, Tyrion Lannister and Shae were greeted warmly and with a pleasant gourmet meal. Afterwards, the discussion got more serious.

"As you all know," said Dr. Rothery, "numerous test results have confirmed the basic claim of Mr. Lannister and his companion. Though basically human, their DNA does _not_ originate from our world. That much, is beyond doubt."

Dr. Jackson spoke next. "And, after speaking with both Tyrion and Shae, I can confirm that their knowledge of various languages previously believed to be fictional is beyond the scope of simple diehard fandom."

"And yet, you all _still_ have your doubts . . . ?" offered Tyrion with a raised eyebrow.

Col. O'Neill shrugged matter-of-factly. "Try to see this from _our_ point of view, 'Mr. Lannister.' We've been to many worlds, met many beings – even beings who appear to have inspired much of what we originally believed to be 'mythology.'

"So while we are nothing if not 'open-minded;' _your_ specific claim still leaves us somewhat . . . skeptical."

General Hammond was even blunter. "If you expect us to believe that you are _THE_ Tyrion Lannister from "Game of Thrones;" it's going to take a lot more than a test showing ET DNA."

Tyrion sighed, and then nodded to Teal'c, "Please tell me that _you_ had the same problem convincing your colleagues of _your_ origins?" _By the Seven_, Tyrion Thought, _this one could easily do for the Mountain and the Hound both at once . . . ._

The Jaffa raised an eyebrow of his own, and replied, "I merely had to convince my companions that I truly was a defector from Apophis, and not a Goa'uld trick. A foolsimple task, you will agree, compared with convincing us that you are indeed a fictional character come to life."

Tyrion nodded, and countered, "Well, in the interest of complete accuracy, I _never_ claimed to be _"THE"_ Tyrion Lannister . . . .

"What I _actually_ said was that I am a _version_ of the character you know as Tyrion Lannister, who suddenly finds himself in the 'real world,' as you would call it. In all likelihood, I am but one of a near-infinite iterations of Tyrion Lannisters that simultaneously exist in the multiverse.

"Now, while I _cannot_ speak for any other iterations of my 'character;' I _can_ and _do_ speak for myself and for Shae. And what I have offered you still stands: In exchange for your protection from my family and our people, I shall give you the way to my former home world . . . ."

It took a few more hours of convincing, but in the end, General Hammond and Col. O'Neill escorted the being calling itself "Tyrion Lannister" to the Control Room on Level 28, overlooking the Embarkation Room containing the Stargate itself, below.

When Tyrion saw the portal, he nodded and said, "Just as I thought. I've seen something like this, before . . . .

It was in a tome at The Citadel library in Oldtown, in Southwestern Westeros, showing drawings of the ruins of Old Valyria," said Tyrion. "Though the book made little sense to me due to its somewhat fantastic nature and my then Medieval / Renaissance mindset; thanks to the sorcerer's curse that brought us here, I have a somewhat better understanding of what you refer to as the "Einstein-Rosen Bridge" concept.

"And thanks to my sharp wits – that are known even to the natives of this world - I _also_ remember the sequence of the six glyphs in the aforementioned tome that would appear to be the "address" for the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros."

"So, General Hammond, do we have . . . an agreement . . . ?"

After a moment's consideration, General Hammond replied that, provisionally, a deal was reached. "Though it will remain to be seen if you _really_ are a character from fiction; for now, you _will_ have our protection from _whatever_ may be threatening you."

Col. O'Neill said, "When do you want SG-1 to be ready, General?"

"Not for a while, yet," replied General Hammond. "We'll be sending drones, first. The last thing I want is for you and your team to run into a bunch of White Walkers and Wights."

Col. O'Neill nodded. "Well, let's just hope that our drone doesn't get eaten by a _dragon_ . . . ."

Smiling, Tyrion gave Shae's hand a light squeeze. However their life together turned out, they now had every reason to believe that it would be a long and happy one.

Tyrion would even go as far as to say that they would now live, "Happily Ever After . . . ."

**The End . . . ?**

**Author's Afterthoughts**

First, I want to thank Argonaut57. Without his advice on the proper courtesies and protocols among Medieval/Renaissance/High Fantasy Nobles, I would not have been able to write this story properly. I also want to give thanks and a shout-out to horacethepig, and Esther-Channah, for all of their advice and support with this project. I couldn't have done it, much less completed it, without all of your encouragement. All three have stories posted on this site that I highly recommend; even before anything that I have written.

In retrospect, I probably should have titled this story, "Henry and Joffrey: A Clash of Princes," as most of the conflict revolved around them. The characters brought to life by Jared S. Gilmore on "Once Upon A Time," and Jack Gleeson on "Game of Thrones," _couldn't_ have been more diametrically opposed. My main inspiration for this story was to ask myself; what if these two fictional princes ever met . . . ?

Thanks to the hobby and magic of Fanfiction, such a meeting would be possible to explore. But, as these boys are around 13 or 14 when my story takes place; it seemed more appropriate to make the main conflict between their formidable mothers, Regina Mills and Cersei Lannister.

This story is also another experiment of mine to use "genre" in "Once Upon A Time" crossovers as a stand-in or allegory for ethnicity. Thus far, relations between people of the different genres who inhabit Storybrooke and the United Realms of Storytelling have been largely cordial. But I plan to show some strained inter-genre relations brewing in an upcoming project that crosses "Once Upon A Time" with various, Classic TV Westerns of the 1950's – 1970's, that I've tentatively titled, "Cowboys and Fairy Tales." I hope to start this project sometime in 2020.

Lastly, I got the concept of the "Moral Dystopia" from an art book, "How to draw Sci-Fi Utopias and Dystopias," (ISBN: 978-1-58093-446-6,) by Prentis Rollins. The specific painting depicted a nightmare scene in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, showing the aftermath of a full-on nuclear war. This chilling scene was described by Mr. Rollins as being ". . . a "moral dystopia" – a situation without the hope of comfort or the comfort of hope, in which the possibility of right action has itself been destroyed . . . ."

It occurred to me that you really didn't need a global, thermonuclear war to bring something like this about. The term "moral dystopia" is a very good way to describe the culture of the High Fantasy world of Ice and Fire; especially when contrasted to the Fairy Tale culture of Storybrooke's Enchanted Forest Expats. Though I can't draw _anything_ without a ruler, I thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Rollins' book, and the pictures alone are worth the price!

Thanks for reading!


End file.
